What is Teriparatide

Teriparatide is a recombinant segment of human parathyroid hormone, containing its first 34 amino acids. Parathyroid hormone that is constantly present may actually cause bone loss. But when teriparatide is given once a day, it promotes new bone formation. The drug is injected into the subcutaneous tissue.

Other osteoporosis therapies act mainly to inhibit bone resorption and reduce bone remodeling. These are called "antiresorptive agents". Teriparatide [recombinant human PTH(1–34)] is actually an "anabolic" drug - it acts to build up bones and has the potential to improve skeletal microarchitecture. The drug increases the volume of the bone and microarchitecture. (Fluoride also builds bones, but it is not commonly used for osteoporosis.)

Osteoporosis is a major health problem affecting 44 million Americans, over two-thirds of whom are women. This disease, in which the bone (osteo) becomes more porous (porosis), is responsible for 1.5 million bone fractures each year.

Osteoporosis is a silent disease. Bone mass loss is not accompanied by outward symptoms. The only major symptoms of osteoporosis are bone fracture or vertebral collapse, and most people do not know they have the disorder until they experience their first fracture. People with osteoporosis sometimes have back pain, difficulty straightening their spines, and actually get shorter.

There were two small studies comparing combination therapy, using teriparatide with alendronate, one study with men, one with women. Both showed more increased bone mineral density in the spine with the combination than with alendronate alone, but not more than with teriparatide alone.