Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue, which can lead to an increase in fractures. Worldwide, osteoporosis affects an estimated 200 million women according to the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF). Many individuals may have osteoporosis but do not know it. The Office of the Surgeon General of the United States has said that based on survey results by The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, testing at the hip showed that four times as many men (four percent) and 2.5 times as many women (26%) actually had osteoporosis than reported that they had the disease. All bones become more fragile and susceptible to fracture as the disease progresses. People tend to be unaware that their bones are getting weaker, and a person with osteoporosis can fracture a bone from even a minor fall.
Fractures due to osteoporosis are most likely to occur in the hip, spine and wrist. In 2000, there were an estimated 9 million new osteoporotic fractures, of which 1.6 million were at the hip, 1.7 million were at the forearm and 1.4 million were clinical vertebral fractures. According to the IOF, hip fractures cause the most morbidity among types of osteoporotic fractures and can lead to lasting immobility. The IOF has estimated that by 2050 the number of hip fractures could reach between 4.5 and 6.3 million. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF):
The debilitating effects of osteoporosis have substantial costs. Loss of mobility, admission to nursing homes and dependence on caregivers are all common consequences of osteoporosis. The risk of subsequent fractures increases by 86% for those with a fracture. The NOF has estimated that osteoporosis-related fractures were responsible for $19 billion in costs in 2005.
The prevalence of osteoporosis is growing and, according to the NOF, is significantly under-recognized and under-treated in the population. While the aging of the population is a primary driver of an increase in cases, osteoporosis is also increasing from the use of drugs that induce bone loss, such as chronic use of glucocorticoids, aromatase inhibitors that are increasingly used for breast cancer and the hormone therapies used for prostate cancer.
The range of treatment and prevention options for osteoporosis has expanded in recent years from anti-resorptive drugs that act to prevent bone loss by blocking bone resorption, which is the process by which bone is broken down in the body and the resulting minerals, including calcium, are released into the blood, to include bisphosphonates, SERMs, calcitonins, and most recently in 2010, a genetic-based therapy known as receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand, known as a RANKL inhibitor. Bisphosphonates remain the current standard of care, led by Actonel, Boniva, and Fosamax. Generic versions of Fosamax (alendronate) became available in the United States in 2008 and have now gained market share from branded oral bisphosphonates.
The only anabolic drug approved in the United States for osteoporosis is Forteo, which was approved by the FDA in December 2002. In 2011, the medical journal, Osteoporosis International, published results of a study indicating that patients' preferences for osteoporosis medications are strongly influenced by the mode of administration. In particular, when given the choice of subcutaneously injected Forteo versus other therapies, patients preferred the alternative drugs over Forteo, which requires once-daily, self-administered injections and must be refrigerated for storage between uses. Radius is seeking to optimize patient outcomes with improved treatment compliance with a bone anabolic drug that offers an alternative to daily injection, is stable at room temperature and requires a shorter treatment duration, such as BA058 Microneedle Patch.