Amgen BMD study results released

The final results from a phase III study into an osteoporosis treatment have been announced by Amgen.

Denosumab’s head-to-head double blind study shows it increases bone mass density (BMD) in postmenopausal women with a low score.

The results could prove hopeful for cancer patients, the company suggested, saying phase II and phase II studies are continuing into the success of denosumab, a RANK Ligand inhibitor, in the treatment of bone metastases and multiple myleoma.

Lead study investigator Jacques Brown, from Laval University and the Universitaire de Quebec, said it was the first of any investigational or approved drug to show increased BMD on all sites that were measured.

“Denosumab may be able to target all osteoclasts – wherever they are found in bone tissue throughout the skeleton – and at all stages of their formation and function,” he said.

Denosumab is administered via twice-yearly subcutaneous injections and was measured against the success of weekly oral doses of alendronate (Merck’s treatment Fosamax).

It could also have potential to treat rheumatoid arthritis, Amgen says.