"Clinical Challenges - The Role Of Anabolic Agents" - Molly Walker

Anabolic agents for osteoporosis are not for all patients, but can be invaluable to certain patient populations that can derive benefit from them, one researcher argued. Abaloparatide, an injectable treatment for osteoporosis, offers a new form of anabolic therapy for postmenopausal women, joining teriparatide, which has been around for 15 years. In April 2017, abaloparatide was approved by the FDA for use in postmenopausal women with a high risk of bone fracture. However, the European Medicines Agency declined the marketing authorization for the drug in March 2018. Mone Zaidi, MD, PhD, professor of medicine, endocrinology, diabetes, and bone disease, pharmacological sciences, geriatrics and palliative medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai said that he was “very surprised” that abaloparatide was rejected by the EMA. “The FDA is generally more rigorous than the EMA, and the fact that the Europeans turned it down when the FDA approved it, it sounds kind of strange.” When examining anabolic agents in general, Dr. Zaidi said he typically uses them for only a “niche” patient population, and one with more severe disease – “maybe one to two patients out of ten,” he added.

- Mone Zaidi, MD, PhD, Professor, Medicine, Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease, Pharmacological Sciences, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

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