September 5, 2000

BIRMINGHAM, AL — A study under way at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is testing the effectiveness of a new osteoporosis drug to stimulate bone growth. “Other therapies have been proven effective in preventing bone loss, but this is the first one that may actually be capable of stimulating the formation of new bone,” says Dr. Kenneth Saag, lead investigator with the Division of Immunology and Rheumatology at UAB.

Osteoporosis, a disease characterized by the deterioration of bone, is the most common form of bone disease and is the leading cause of hip fractures, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. In the U.S., 10 million Americans have osteoporosis and 18 million are at risk for the disease.

The study is testing a drug called ALX 1-11, a genetically engineered form of parathyroid hormone that has been shown to stimulate bone growth in smaller studies. “This is the first large-scale study of the drug and the first time that it has been tested in this region of the world,” says Saag. “It’s an exciting new therapy that may potentially add to our therapy regimen.”

Researchers are enrolling postmenopausal women, age 55 or older, who have had at least one bone fracture in the previous five years. Volunteers enrolled in the study will visit the clinic six times over an 18-month period for evaluation and to receive their medication — either the drug or a placebo, which participants will take daily by injection. “However, any participant who is losing bone mass or who suffers a bone fracture, will be given the drug at no cost,” says Saag.

For more information, contact Becky Noel at (888) 534-0367.