New drug promises to build-bone and help post-menopause women

Hundreds of thousands of women who go through menopause every year could benefit from a new bone-strengthening drug.

Abaloparatide – the new bone-strengthening drug

According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), abaloparatide, a new bone-strengthening drug, could help women post-menopause. 

Abaloparatide can protect those who use it against the bone-thinning condition called osteoporosis, which greatly increases the risk of breaking bones in the later years of life. 

NICE has stated the new drug will become available on the NHS in England within the next three months, as of August 2024.

The drug will be taken through injection, which will come as a pre-filled pen to self-administer once a day, and will encourage cells to make new bone.

Osteoporosis symptoms could be helped by the new drug

Osteoporosis, a systemic skeletal disorder and the most common reason for broken bones among the elderly, already has medication and treatment options.

However, this new one on the market will act as an alternative to those who do not respond well, or cannot tolerate the previously available treatment.

Abaloparatide, the new drug, is “a very well-tolerated treatment” for most people, according to a clinical trustee at the Royal Osteoporosis Society, Dr Nicky Peel, who is also a bone physician based in Sheffield. 

Abaloparatide could make a “big difference”

As stated earlier, some people suffer from nausea, headaches and palpitations from current on-the-market treatments for osteoporosis, especially in the early stages of treatment. Dr Peel states that Abaloparatide is suitable for most people at high risk of bone fracture.

Alison Smith, who was diagnosed with osteoporosis in 2011, told the BBC the new treatment would make a “big difference” to many patients who are “reluctant” to take medication currently available “because of the side effects.”

Chief medical officer and deputy chief executive at NICE, Professor Jonathan Benger, stated: “The independent committee heard from patients about how debilitating osteoporosis can be.”

Professor Benger added that their “focus is on enabling access to care that improves quality of life while offering value to the taxpayer.”

Theramex, the pharmaceutical company that makes the medication, has already agreed on an undisclosed price with the NHS, and the drug will be offered as treatment if doctors think their patient is at high enough risk of breaking a bone. 

Bone strength declines with age

Usually, by age 25, bone strength has peaked and from then on begins to naturally decline. 

If bone loss is severe, however, the bones can easily fracture after a minor accident.

Getting enough calcium and vitamin D is also important for bone health, and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) at the time of menopause – most common in women aged 51 and up – can benefit overall bone health. 

Menopause increases risk of developing osteoporosis

Unfortunately, menopause increases the risk of developing osteoporosis, as oestrogen levels drop, which weakens bone structure. 

More than one in three women will sustain one or more osteoporotic fractures in their lifetime.

In the UK, more than three million people have osteoporosis, and it only increases with age; of women aged 50 only roughly 2% have it, compared to almost half of women aged 80 having osteoporosis, according to NICE.