Treatment of bone loss with teriparatide and abaloparatide

2022.01.25 | Graduate School of Health

On Friday 11 February at 12:00, Mikkel Bo Brent defends his PhD dissertation entitled "Animal models of disuse and efficacy of treatment with osteoanabolic agents".

In Denmark, it is estimated that more than 500,000 have low bone mass or osteoporosis, but only 90,000 receive anti-osteoporotic pharmaceutical treatment. Osteoporosis is a complex disease characterized by low bone density and deteriorated bone micro-structure without any obvious symptoms. For many patients, the first symptom of osteoporosis is a painful fragility fracture. Osteoporosis can arise from several different aetiologies, such as reduced weight-bearing or paralysis. Patients suffering from spinal cord injuries or paralyses might lose up to 20% of their bone mass during the first two years. There is a clear need for improved treatment strategies and further drug development to prevent and treat osteoporosis. The first approved anabolic treatment for osteoporosis was teriparatide, which stimulates bone formation. However, treatment with teriparatide might result in side effects such as an increased level of calcium in the blood (hypercalcemia). Abaloparatide is a new and promising bone anabolic agent with a powerful bone anabolic effect similar to that of teriparatide, but with fewer side effects and a decreased risk of inducing hypercalcemia. Abaloparatide is approved by FDA for treatment of osteoporosis in the US, but has not yet been approved by EMA for use in Europe.

A new PhD project from Aarhus University, Health has compared the bone anabolic effects of treatment with abaloparatide and teriparatide and their efficacy to prevent disuse-induced bone loss using animal models.

The summary is written by the PhD student.

The defence is public and takes place in Lille Anatomisk Auditorie (building 1231, room 424), Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Wilhelm Meyers Allé 3, Aarhus C or online via Zoom. Please read the attached press release for more information.

Contact

PhD student Mikkel Bo Brent

Mail: mbb@biomed.au.dk

Phone: (+45) 26857050

Read full press release