Amgen, GlaxoSmithKline win SMC backing for Prolia

Amgen and GlaxoSmithKline have been granted a recommendation from the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) for the collaboratively-developed drug Prolia.

The denosumab therapy has been backed by the healthcare regulator as a targeted treatment option for women with osteoporosis for whom oral bisphosphonates are unsuitable.

Prolia, which is administered as a subcutaneous injection every six months, has been clinically proven to deliver a reduced risk of fractures to the spine, hip and other key non-vertebral sites among this patient group.

According to the manufacturers, the drug represents an efficacious and cost-effective new treatment option for patients and doctors in Scotland.

John Kearney, general manager at Amgen, said: "It is great to see this being used to transform the lives of women with postmenopausal osteoporosis for whom other treatments are unsuitable."

This comes after the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recommended the treatment for use among the same patient group in October 2010.