Teriparatide, a drug that contains a synthetic form of a natural human hormone call parathyroid hormone, is a useful treatment for the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis even in patients who have already been treated with “bisphosphonate” drugs, such as Allendronate or zoledronate, new research shows.

Bisphosphonate drugs strengthen bones by blocking the body’s cells that break down bone. Teriparatide, works by enhancing the activity of cells that build bone.

Teriparatide may be prescribed as a second-line treatment for severe osteoporosis, but the effect of prior bisphosphonate therapy on the response to the drug is unclear, according to the report in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. [Read more...]