OSTEOPOROSIS is a disease in which a person?s bones become progressively more and more brittle over time, generally culminating in the breakage of a major bone, such as the hip or part of the spine or rib area.

Too often, the only advise one gets is to take calcium and Vitamin D supplement, which is wholly inadequate advice.

?Osteoporosis is a complex disease involving hormonal, nutritional and lifestyle factors. Taking supplements are only a piece of the puzzle,? explained Dr. Richard Eastell, a multi-awarded professor of bone metabolism at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom.

Eastell recently led a scientific forum held at the Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa in Cebu where more than a hundred experts from the Asia-Pacific region (South Africa also represented) were in attendance.

Because osteoporosis is undetectable unless specifically tested for, or when a bone is already broken, Eastell said the 1997 introduction of Aclasta, the world?s first once-a-year osteoporosis therapy, is a fortunate development as the medication is proving to be a success in cutting the risk of broken bones in older individuals.

Oral therapies

?Current as well as standard oral therapies for osteoporosis have to be taken daily, weekly or monthly, and patients often find it difficult to follow these treatment regimens. With Aclasta, compliance is taken care of since you have a 15-minute, single treatment that offers a year?s protection against the effects of osteoporosis and the risk of life-threatening fractures,? Eastell explained.

Eastell also said the drug has also been extensively studied for its safety and effectiveness in thousands of patients with osteoporosis.

In fact, Aclasta is now approved to treat various cases of osteoporosis including that caused by long-term use of steroids by men and postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.

Various cases

The drug is also prescribed to men and postmenopausal women including those who suffered from low-trauma hip fracture; postmenopausal women with osteoporosis who need to reduce the risk of fractures at all key osteoporotic fracture sites, like the hip, spine and other bones. Also those with Paget?s disease of the bone (chronic disorder that causes the bone to become fragile and misshapen) can benefit from the drug.

?This is the first time that one treatment has been shown to provide protection against so many types of osteoporotic fractures across all major bone sites including the spine and hips,? said Joseph McCreight, Novartis head of specialty medicines in the Amac (Asia Pacific, Middle East and African countries) region.

He explained that Aclasta is just one of the innovative products developed by Novartis, a research-based pharmaceutical company.

?There is a quest among pharmaceutical industry players to develop innovative drug molecules that not only safely target underdiagnosed and undertreated diseases but one that also have many potential uses,? McCreight said.

He added that with Aclasta, they found one since its active ingredient, zoledronic acid, is also used to treat certain types of bone-related cancer.