Amgen receives European approval for Prolia

Amgen has announced that European marketing authorisation has been granted for Prolia, a new bone disease treatment for men and women in certain at-risk groups.

The drug is designed to prevent fractures among postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, as well as being the first available treatment in Europe for preventing bone loss associated with hormone ablation in men with prostate cancer.

This decision represents the first regulatory approval granted to the Amgen/GlaxoSmithKline treatment, which has demonstrated its safety and efficacy in a number of clinical trials.

Will Dere, senior vice-president and international chief medical officer at Amgen, said: “Prolia reduces the risk of fracture through a convenient injection given every six months. Amgen is proud to make this new treatment available to physicians and their patients.”

Later this week, the pharmaceutical company will be attending the 2010 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting, where it will present new clinical trial data on innovative cancer drugs.