There are 206 bones in the human body and they are all vital towards protecting our organs and providing structure. When you are younger, your bones renew faster and your bone mass increases. As you grow older, the rate of bone renewal slows down and bone mass is lost faster than it is renewed. Every individual has a different level of peak bone mass, and the higher your mass is, the lower the chances you have of developing osteoporosis. The condition of osteoporosis occurs when the rate of which you lose bone mass is greater than the rate of which you produce it. This causes bones to become weak and fragile, and with a small bump, fall, or even a cough, this easily causes fractures. This condition affects people of all ages and races, but it usually affects older asian and white women more. Some common symptoms of osteoporosis are back pain, posture issues, height loss and obviously, bone fractures. As of right now, 200 million people globally have osteoporosis and it is an incurable disease. Osteoporosis is chronic and can lead to severe pain along with other conditions, hindering function and diminishing quality of life.
After reading the above, you can tell that osteoporosis affects many individuals throughout the world, and it is a very serious and dangerous condition. Fortunately, there are a few drugs and treatments on the market for it. Recently, a new drug, romosozumab, has been getting a significant amount of attention because it is the first new treatment, in around a decade, When something like that happens, it could be very beneficial for millions upon millions of individuals. This drug belongs to a class of sclerostin inhibitors, which regulates bone metabolism. The protein sclerostin is produced by osteocytes, which helps to form new bone. It is administered once a month through two syringes, for only twelve months. Two trials were conducted and the results were promising. In the first trail, romosozumab versus placebo, the women treated with romosozumab had fewer vertebral fractures. The trial also showed that when new drugs were consumed after treatment ceased, those that took romosozumab had lesser new fractures. In the second trial, romosozumab led to fewer new fractures and higher bone density, proving further success and higher credibility for osteoporosis treatment.
References
David M. Slovik, MD. “A New Therapy for Osteoporosis: Romosozumab.” Harvard Health Blog, 17 July 2019, www.health.harvard.edu/blog/a-new-therapy-for-osteoporosis-romosozumab-2019071717339.
“FDA OKs Romosozumab for Postmenopausal Osteoporosis.” Medscape, 9 Apr. 2019, www.medscape.com/viewarticle/911584.
“Osteoporosis.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 19 June 2019, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/osteoporosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20351968.
Sözen, Tümay, et al. “An Overview and Management of Osteoporosis.” European Journal of Rheumatology, Medical Research and Education Association, Mar. 2017, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5335887/.
