New Clinical Trial Study of PTHrP and PTH (Forteo®) to Treat Osteoporosis

4/ 7/10 10:39pm

Dear Pam,

Once again you are enlightening the world about ever newer and more beneficial discoveries of science that will make life easier for all of us. Following in the wake of the other -- more naturally occurring substances you outlined in your earlier posts, this new drug similar to Forteo without its side effects may be just the boon people have been waiting for!

However I do wish they would bring it in oral tablet form as well. Most people get scared of taking daily injections to say the least!! Especially with all the worries about being infected at the injection site. Maybe you will be the first to let us know when the tablet form comes out. I dont believe they have the equivalent of Forteo in tablet form -- if they do, or if the drug is in the making you would be the first to tell us about it!

We cant even conceive of the tremendous amount of time and research you must be doing through various scientific journals and doctors and research establishments to get this valuable information out to us -- whether it comes from naturally occurring substances or whether it is a straight drug from modern medicine.

What is great about your posts is the sheer authenticity with which they are backed, research articles as well as "awaiting FDA approval", so that we know we are dealing with drugs that may be on the market some time in the future.

Best wishes and warm regards,

Yours,

Priya

Pam Flores, Health Guide

4/ 9/10 6:41pm

Hi Priya thanks for joining us. Unfortunately these new drugs do take a long time to get approval, so we may have to wait a while to see what happens with this new parathyroid hormone related-protein.

There is a company that was working on a patch form of Forteo but I haven't heard much about it lately. The link above is from 2008 so I don't know where it stands in the application process. If it gets FDA approval I'm sure we'll all be reading about it. From what I understand, Forteo can't be taken orally because it's a peptide. I believe an oral form of Forteo wouldn't survive going through your stomach for this reason. Also peptides have a limited self-life, so that's why Forteo has to be discarded after 28 days of use.

When you take Forteo, you use a new sterilized needle for each daily injection that is packaged with a tamper proof seal so there shouldn't be any concern about infection. Infections occur with needles are re-used, which NEVER should occur. The injection itself is really easy to do and doesn't hurt. The needle is about the size of an eye lash, hard to even see if you have poor eye sight

Good luck with your treatment and I hope something inexpensive and easy-to-take comes along without too many side effects.

nathji

4/ 9/10 11:35pm

Dear Pam,

Thanks for explaining the Forteo injection. I hope the patch form also comes out soon. Forteo is however much too expensive for most people in India and would take their lives's savings!! As I said there is no Health Insurance here of the type that exists in the US. I hope the new drug is cheaper!

Best wishes and thanks,

Yours,

Priya

Pam Flores, Health Guide

4/10/10 4:42pm

Hi Priya, we have a very similar problem here with the cost of Forteo. For those without insurance, they'd have to pay retail and I'm sure not many can afford that! Then there are some who have insurance that covers it, but with a high copay price, so it's still out of reach, cost wise for most. Then there's a few who have insurance that have a reasonable copay, but they are the minority. Then when you add the qualifications you must meet to get this medication, it's really limited to those with low t-score or fractures who already tried a bisphosphonate and failed on it, or couldn't take it for other reasons. So when you look at all of this there aren't many that have insurance that covers it, and the retail price is too high ( approx. $1,200.00 a month) for the majority.

It's too bad the price is so restrictive, and not many insurance companies cover it. If PTHrP gets approval, let's hope it will be less expensive. However, since it's a Injectable with limited use, it probably would be very expensive too.

nathji

4/10/10 11:24pm

Dear Pam,

Yes, the drug is expensive in India as well as the US. In India they wanted about 20,000 rupees per month which is the equivalent of 20,000/50 =$ 400 per month, which is still too expensive by Indian Standards-- it is more than the entire month's earning of the majority of Indians.

Best wishes and thanks,

Yours,

Priya

Raven

4/10/10 10:05pm

Hi Pam,

Where did this come from? I have never heard anything about it. How fabulous! I'm thunderstruck. I just took my 2nd dose of Fosamax after my 2 years of Forteo. It's great to know there are more drugs coming down the pike. Very hopeful! Thanks for the info.

Pam Flores, Health Guide

4/11/10 3:30pm

Hi Raven, glad you could join us... This new study has been in the works for a while and I don't remember where I first read it. It will be very interesting to see the results from it, and for anyone considering trying to qualify for the trial in Pittsburgh, read the exclusionary criteria very carefully since there are many patients who might not qualify for the trial. If it does get to the approval stage then I'm sure the restrictions for use would change.

Good luck with your treatment...

reetzsan

4/27/10 6:29am

I am interested in knowing about your experience with Forteo. Every time I go to the doctor my bone density issues (-3.3 at 62 yrs.)) surface. I am on Boniva and things have not gotten worse in the first year. I am in the second year and will repeat my scan but several doctors have suggested Forteo. When I originally researched it I found it was "black boxed". I believe this is not the case now. However, the cost and the the daily injection are a negative. That aside I was wondering if you could share your experience with me regarding side effects and benefits. I was also interested in knowing why you took it for two years because I have been told you should only take it forone year.

Thanks so much.

Rita

Pam Flores, Health Guide

4/27/10 11:21am

Hi Rita, welcome... Yes I took Forteo for 2 years, which is the recommended amount of time here in the U.S. Forteo still has a black box warning. I did really well on it, and didn't have any side effects. However, we all react differently to these meds, so my reaction may not be the same as others. The injection is really simple and is nothing like a regular (intramuscular) injection. The needle is so small you can hardly feel it. Here are some links on discussions about Forteo, if you'd like to read them. I realize your reluctance about taking this, and it's cost. Even if you haven't decided to take this, I would check with your insurance to see if they cover this. If the insurance doesn't cover it, or the copay is high, this can be very restrictive for many.

Good luck with your decision... If you have another question, don't hesitate to ask.

Question of the week on Forteo

Member Interview about Forteo

Forteo approved for steriod-induced osteoporosis

Forteo for fractures

Churg

4/23/10 1:20am

When do they expect results? Can you please keep us posted? This sounds very hopeful. We need something like this!

Best regards,

Mike

Pam Flores, Health Guide

4/23/10 4:08pm

Hi Mike, welcome... I have no idea how long this study will last, but the biggest problem is all of these trials take some time and then we don't know if it'll be approved by the FDA. Unfortunately right now they are only including women, but if it gets approval they'll probably include men, but at a later date like they did with Forteo.

If I hear anymore about this I will post it here. Thanks for joining us and I'll keep you posted on this. Good luck.

Pat

6/14/10 4:07pm

Dear Pam, thank you for the information about the new drug like Forteo. Also that would be great if Forteo came in a patch form. I conversed with you awhile ago where I was reluctant to take the Forteo. I even stopped it for a month, but when I asked for another dexa, the results were better. However I do have other issues, and on other medications. But I'm gonna try and stick with it, I did have the dexascan on a newer piece of equipment than the first if that makes a difference. Also my endo dr wants me to have a thyroid scan with the iodine. I think it's a nuclear test. Would that have any interactions with the Forteo?

Pam Flores, Health Guide

6/14/10 4:41pm

Hi Pat, good to hear from you again. The PTHrP is only in the trial stage, so it may be a long way off from FDA approval. I'm not sure where the patch form is in the process of approval either.

I would call the nuclear scan department, and ask about Forteo. I had a thyroid scan like that with the radioactive dye, and they told me there would be no interaction with Forteo, but I would definitely recheck that info before you proceed. If the scanning department isn't familiar with Forteo, just tell them it's a daily injection of man-made parathyroid hormone (not thyroid) and should you skip the injection before the test. I would imagine they'll say to take it, but double check first!! If they do tell you to skip the injection, don't worry that's no big deal.

If you do have a thyroid problem, it will be good to find that out since it could be causing some of the bone loss, and if treated could help your bone density.

I'm glad your DXA has improved that's fantastic!! However, do not be surprised if your t-score is different on this new machine, since you can get a different score from different scans and technicians. This is the reason why the Dr's advise to stick with the same machine so you can compare results. It's very hard to compare between two differing DXA machines. But don't worry, since this is a newer model be sure to use this same machine on the next scan, if you can, so you can compare this most recent scan and your next.

Good luck and if I hear anymore on the PTHrP or the patch, I'll let you all know.

New Clinical Trial Study of PTHrP and PTH (Forteo®) to Treat Osteoporosis

Ask a Question