Study of Prolia (Amgen/GSK) plus teriparatide shows significant benefits in Osteoporosis

A randomised, controlled trial of postmenopausal women with Osteoporosis shows that teriparatide and Prolia (denosumab), from Amgen/GSK, increased bone mineral densification (BMD) better than previously reported with any available treatment. Ninety four postmenopausal women were assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive 20 ug teriparatide daily, 60 mg denosumab every 6 months, or both. BMD was measured at 0, 3, 6, and 12 months. The results showed that the combination therapy improved BMD at the spine, hip, and femoral neck significantly better than either drug by itself. At 12 months, lumbar spine BMD increased more in the combination group (9�1%) than in the teriparatide (6�2%) or denosumab (5�5%) groups.

At one year improvements in femoral neck (4.2%) and hip (4.9%) BMD in the combined group were greater than previously reported for any approved treatment. Results were published in The Lancet. See: "Teriparatide and denosumab, alone or combined, in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis: the DATA study randomised trial." Joy N Tsai et al. The Lancet, 15 May 2013 doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60856-9