Bone Diseases

Bone Drug Reduces Fractures In Men Having Hormone Therapy For Prostate Cancer

Medical News Today (Free subscription) | 15/07/2008

Drugmaker Amgen Inc announced yesterday, Monday, that a large trial of its bone drug denosumab increased bone density and cut fractures in men with non-metastatic prostate cancer who were having hormone blocking therapy. A side effect of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), which stops the male hormones feeding the cancer, is weaker bones and increased risk of fracture.

Test Your Knowledge Of Bone Health

Medical News Today (Free subscription) | 15/07/2008

Knowing key facts about bone health can help reduce the risk of osteoporosis, a disease that causes bones to become weak, brittle and prone to fracture.

NICE Final Recommends Treatment Options For Primary, Secondary Prevention Of Osteoporotic Fragility Fractures In Postmenopausal Women, UK

Medical News Today (Free subscription) | 09/07/2008

Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals (P&GP) welcome the new Final Appraisal Determination (FAD) Guidance for the primary and secondary prevention of osteoporosis from NICE.

Integration Of Joint Replacements Improved By Coating Titanium With Polymer

Medical News Today (Free subscription) | 02/07/2008

Research at the Georgia Institute of Technology shows that coating a titanium implant with a new biologically inspired material enhances tissue healing, improves bone growth around the implant and strengthens the attachment and integration of the implant to the bone.

Virtual Temporal Bone Project Uses Technology, Simulated Surgery To Teach The Next Generation Of Surgeons

Medical News Today (Free subscription) | 01/07/2008

For a generation of surgeons who have grown up playing video games, they are now learning temporal bone surgery of the skull in a similar way. Physicians and researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital are using state-of-the-art computer animation to help train the next generation of surgeons.

Alendronate

HotMed.info (Free subscription) | 27/06/2008

Alendronate (Fosamax, Merck) is a bisphosphonate drug used for osteoporosis and several other bone diseases. It is marketed alone as well as in combination with vitamin D (2,800 U and 5600 U, under the name Fosamax+D). Merck’s U.S. patent on alendronate is set to expire in 2008 and Merck has lost a series of appeals [...]

New Drug Prevents Dangerous Complications Of Hip And Knee Surgery, Says McMaster Professor

Medical News Today (Free subscription) | 26/06/2008

A McMaster University researcher predicts a new oral blood thinner will revolutionize treatment for preventing dangerous blood clots in patients undergoing hip and knee surgery. Dr. Alexander Turpie, professor of medicine in the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, oversaw four major international studies on the drug rivaroxaban (Xarelto).

Ibandronic Acid Continues To Prevent Bone Loss Caused By Anastrozole In Women With Surgically Treated Breast Cancer

Medical News Today (Free subscription) | 03/06/2008

Ibandronic acid is an effective treatment option for post-menopausal women with early breast cancer that suffer from low bone mineral density caused by adjuvant anastrozole therapy, according to results from the ARIBON study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago.

Interim Phase 2 Results Of Open-Label Clinical Trial Of Denosumab In Giant Cell Tumor Of Bone Demonstrated 87 Percent Response Rate

Medical News Today (Free subscription) | 03/06/2008

Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) announced interim results of an open-label Phase 2 study demonstrating a positive response rate to administration of denosumab in subjects with recurrent or unresectable giant cell tumor of bone. The study was presented at the 2008 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting.

Denosumab Achieved Superior Bone Mineral Density Gains In Head-To-Head Trial Versus Weekly Alendronate (Fosamax)

Medical News Today (Free subscription) | 29/05/2008

Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) announced complete results from a head-to-head, double-blind study comparing the effects of twice-yearly subcutaneous injections of denosumab versus weekly oral doses of alendronate (FOSAMAX) on bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women with low BMD. The results were presented during a late breaking session at this year's 35th Annual European Symposium on Calcified Tissues...

• Denosumab Achieved Superior Bone Mineral Density Gains in Head-to-Head Trial Versus Weekly Alendronate (FOSAMAX(R)) - Red Orbit
• Denosumab Achieved Superior Bone Mineral Density Gains in Head-to-Head Trial versus Weekly Alendronate (FOSAMAX(R)) - Business Wire

Osteoarthritis Another Health Detriment Of Obesity

Medical News Today (Free subscription) | 29/05/2008

The escalating obesity epidemic in the United States has focused attention on obesity as a risk factor for coronary artery disease, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. But being overweight is also a risk factor for osteoarthritis (OA), the degeneration of the cartilage at the ends of bones, which results in painful and restricted movement, said an expert at the 55th Annual Meeting of the American College...

Depuy Spine Launches New Expedium(TM) Peek Rod System - Load Sharing Design, Imaging Compatibility, System Versatility

Medical News Today (Free subscription) | 22/05/2008

DePuy Spine, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, announced the launch of the EXPEDIUM™ PEEK Rod System, a load-sharing posterior instrumentation system designed to increase anterior column loading and support the interbody fusion process in the thoracolumbar spine. EXPEDIUM PEEK Rods shift compressive axial forces from the posterior elements to the interbody fusion site, more closely reproducing the...

Chimp Receives Surgery From A UK Orthopedic Surgeon To Correct A Deformity

Medical News Today (Free subscription) | 20/05/2008

An orthopaedic surgeon at the University of Liverpool has performed a groundbreaking operation on a chimp in Cameroon to correct a deformity more commonly seen in dogs.The three year-old chimp called Janet was rescued from the Cameroon pet trade last year and now lives in a chimpanzee reserve supported by the Cameroon Wildlife Aid Fund. Janet was unable to climb and had difficulty walking because a...

• Surgeon Operates To Rescue Chimp With Rare Deformity - Monkeys In The News
• Surgeon operates to rescue chimp with rare deformity - Physorg
• See the 5 articles on the same subject

Depuy Spine Introduces New Vertigraft(R) VG1(R) Cervical Allograft - Shaped To Align With Anatomy, Freeze-Dried For Easy Storage

Medical News Today (Free subscription) | 06/05/2008

DePuy Spine, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, announced the launch of the VERTIGRAFT® VG1® CERVICAL ALLOGRAFT, an innovative bio-implant for anterior cervical fusion surgery designed to align with the spinal anatomy for maximum stability and freeze-dried for easy storage. VG1 CERVICAL, co-developed by DePuy Spine and LifeNET Health®, is made of a single piece of high quality cortical bone that is...

Glitazones Could Increase Risk Of Bone Fractures

Medical News Today (Free subscription) | 30/04/2008

New research claims that people with diabetes who take glitazones could be at increased risk of bone fractures. The study found that people taking one of the eight glitazones for 12 to 18 months were at almost double the risk of a fracture, particularly of the hip or wrist, and those taking one of the drugs for more than two years were almost three times the risk.