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Teriparatide (TPTD) is the only currently available therapeutic agent that increases the formation of new bone tissue and can provide some remediation of the architectural defects in the osteoporotic skeleton. The use of teriparatide clinically is limited to 24 months. We review clinical findings during daily teriparatide treatment over time. Teriparatide appears to increase bone formation more than bone resorption as determined biochemically and histologically. Teriparatide exerts its positive effects on bone formation in two distinct fashions. The first is direct stimulation of bone formation that occurs within active remodeling sites (remodeling-based bone formation) and on surfaces of bone previously inactive (modeling-based bone formation). The second is an increase in the initiation of new remodeling sites. Both processes contribute to the final increase in bone density observed by non-invasive tools such as DXA. Remodeling is the repair process by which skeletal tissue is maintained in a young healthy state, and when stimulated by TPTD is associated with a positive bone balance within each remodeling cavity. It seems likely therefore that this component will contribute to the anti-fracture efficacy of TPTD. Teriparatide reduces the risk of fracture, and this effect appears to increase with longer duration of therapy. The use of novel treatment regimens, including shorter courses, should be held in abeyance until controlled clinical trials are completed to define the relative fracture benefits of such approaches in comparison to the 24-month daily use of the agent. Summary In patients with osteoporosis at high risk for fracture, the full continuous 24-month course with teriparatide results in improved skeletal health and outcomes than shorter time periods.

Background: Reducing bisphosphonate dosing frequency may improve suboptimal adherence to treatment and therefore therapeutic outcomes in postmenopausal osteoporosis. Once-monthly oral ibandronate has been developed to overcome this problem. Objective: To confirm the 1 year results and provide more extensive safety and tolerability information for once-monthly dosing by a 2 year analysis. Methods: MOBILE, a randomised, phase III, non-inferiority study, compared the efficacy and safety of once-monthly ibandronate with daily ibandronate, which has previously been shown to reduce vertebral fracture risk in comparison with placebo. Results: 1609 postmenopausal women were randomised. Substantial increases in lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) were seen in all treatment arms: 5.0%, 5.3%, 5.6%, and 6.6% in the daily and once-monthly groups (50 + 50 mg, 100 mg, and 150 mg), respectively. It was confirmed that all once-monthly regimens were at least as effective as daily treatment, and in addition, 150 mg was found to be better (p<0.001). Substantial increases in proximal femur (total hip, femoral neck, trochanter) BMD were seen; 150 mg produced the most pronounced effect (p<0.05 versus daily treatment). Independent of the regimen, most participants (70.5–93.5%) achieved increases above baseline in lumbar spine or total hip BMD, or both. Pronounced decreases in the biochemical marker of bone resorption, sCTX, observed in all arms after 3 months, were maintained throughout. The 150 mg regimen consistently produced greater increases in BMD and sCTX suppression than the 100 mg and daily regimens. Ibandronate was well tolerated, with a similar incidence of adverse events across groups. Conclusions: Once-monthly oral ibandronate is at least as effective and well tolerated as daily treatment. Once-monthly administration may be more convenient for patients and improve therapeutic adherence, thereby optimising outcomes.

Purpose of ReviewThe goal of the review is to assess the appropriateness of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) for the primary prevention of bone loss in women at elevated risk in the early years after menopause.Recent FindingsEstrogen alone or combined with progestin to protect the uterus from cancer significantly reduces the risk of osteoporosis-related fractures. MHT increases type 1 collagen production and osteoblast survival and maintains the equilibrium between bone resorption and bone formation by modulating osteoblast/osteocyte and T cell regulation of osteoclasts. Estrogens have positive effects on muscle and cartilage. Estrogen, but not antiresorptive therapies, can attenuate the inflammatory bone-microenvironment associated with estrogen deficiency. However, already on second year of administration, MHT is associated with excess breast cancer risk, increasing steadily with duration of use.SummaryMHT should be considered in women with premature estrogen deficiency and increased risk of bone loss and osteoporotic fractures. However, MHT use for the prevention of bone loss is hindered by increase in breast cancer risk even in women younger than 60 years old or who are within 10 years of menopause onset.

SummaryFRAX® calculates the 10-year probability of major osteoporotic fractures (MOF), which are considered to have a greater clinical impact than other fractures. Our results suggest that, in postmenopausal women with severe osteoporosis, those treated with teriparatide had a 60% lower risk of FRAX®-defined MOF compared with those treated with risedronate.IntroductionThe VERO trial was an active-controlled fracture endpoint clinical trial that enrolled postmenopausal women with severe osteoporosis. After 24 months, a 52% reduction in the hazard ratio (HR) of clinical fractures was reported in patients randomized to teriparatide compared with risedronate. We examined fracture results restricted to FRAX®-defined major osteoporotic fractures (MOF), which include clinical vertebral, hip, humerus, and forearm fractures.MethodsIn total, 1360 postmenopausal women (mean age 72.1 years) were randomized to receive subcutaneous daily teriparatide (20 μg) or oral weekly risedronate (35 mg). Patient cumulative incidence of ≥ 1 FRAX®-defined MOF and of all clinical fractures were estimated by Kaplan-Meier analyses, and the comparison between treatments was based on the stratified log-rank test. Additionally, an extended Cox model was used to estimate HRs at different time points. Incidence fracture rates were estimated at each 6-month interval.ResultsAfter 24 months, 16 (2.6%) patients in the teriparatide group had ≥ 1 low trauma FRAX®-defined MOF compared with 40 patients (6.4%) in the risedronate group (HR 0.40; 95% CI 0.23–0.68; p = 0.001). Clinical vertebral and radius fractures were the most frequent FRAX®-defined MOF sites. The largest difference in incidence rates of both FRAX®-defined MOF and all clinical fractures between treatments occurred during the 6- to 12-month period. There was a statistically significant reduction in fractures between groups as early as 7 months for both categories of clinical fractures analyzed.ConclusionIn postmenopausal women with severe osteoporosis, treatment with teriparatide was more efficacious than risedronate, with a 60% lower risk of FRAX®-defined MOF during the 24-month treatment period. Fracture risk was statistically significantly reduced at 7 months of treatment.Clinical trial informationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01709110EudraCT Number: 2012-000123-41

Individuals with osteoporosis are predisposed to hip fracture during trips, stumbles or falls, but half of all hip fractures occur in those without generalised osteoporosis. By analysing ordinary clinical CT scans using a novel cortical thickness mapping technique, we discovered patches of markedly thinner bone at fracture-prone regions in the femurs of women with acute hip fracture compared with controls. We analysed CT scans from 75 female volunteers with acute fracture and 75 age- and sex-matched controls. We classified the fracture location as femoral neck or trochanteric before creating bone thickness maps of the outer 'cortical' shell of the intact contra-lateral hip. After registration of each bone to an average femur shape and statistical parametric mapping, we were able to visualise and quantify statistically significant foci of thinner cortical bone associated with each fracture type, assuming good symmetry of bone structure between the intact and fractured hip. The technique allowed us to pinpoint systematic differences and display the results on a 3D average femur shape model. The cortex was generally thinner in femoral neck fracture cases than controls. More striking were several discrete patches of statistically significant thinner bone of up to 30%, which coincided with common sites of fracture initiation (femoral neck or trochanteric). Femoral neck fracture patients had a thumbnail-sized patch of focal osteoporosis at the upper head-neck junction. This region coincided with a weak part of the femur, prone to both spontaneous 'tensile' fractures of the femoral neck, and as a site of crack initiation when falling sideways. Current hip fracture prevention strategies are based on case finding: they involve clinical risk factor estimation to determine the need for single-plane bone density measurement within a standard region of interest (ROI) of the femoral neck. The precise sites of focal osteoporosis that we have identified are overlooked by current 2D bone densitometry methods.

Postmenopausal osteoporosis is mainly caused by increased bone remodeling resulting from estrogen deficiency. Indications for treatment are based on low areal bone mineral density (aBMD, T-score ≤ −2.5), typical fragility fractures (spine or hip), and more recently, an elevated 10-year fracture probability (by FRAX®). In contrast, there is no clear definition of osteoporosis nor intervention thresholds in younger individuals. Low aBMD in a young adult may reflect a physiologically low peak bone mass, such as in lean but otherwise healthy persons, whereas fractures commonly occur with high-impact trauma, i.e., without bone fragility. Furthermore, low aBMD associated with vitamin D deficiency may be highly prevalent in some regions of the world. Nevertheless, true osteoporosis in the young can occur, which we define as a T-score below −2.5 at spine or hip in association with a chronic disease known to affect bone metabolism. In the absence of secondary causes, the presence of fragility fractures, such as in vertebrae, may point towards genetic or idiopathic osteoporosis. In turn, treatment of the underlying condition may improve bone mass as well. In rare cases, a bone-specific treatment may be indicated, although evidence is scarce for a true benefit on fracture risk. The International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) convened a working group to review pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management of osteoporosis in the young, excluding children and adolescents, and provide a screening strategy including laboratory exams for a systematic approach of this condition.

Strontium ranelate is a medicine with evidenced effects on the risk of fractures. The heterogeneity of strontium distribution in bone, quality of bone mineral crystals in young bone packets on bone surfaces formed during strontium ranelate administration, and activation of the calcium sensing receptor may, at least partially, explain the beneficial effects of SrR on reducing the risk of fractures. In this review, the concept of the dual action of strontium ranelate is also discussed. However, sufficient evidence for the bone anabolic effect of SrR does not exist in humans. The knowledge of the mechanism of action of SrR is important not only for the explanation of the effects of SrR upon the skeleton, but also for the safety of treatment for other tissues.

Purpose of the Review The purpose of this Review was to summarize the evidence on the associations among estrogen status, cellular senescence, the gut microbiome and osteoporosis. Recent Findings Indicate that osteoporosis is a global public health problem that impacts individuals and society. In postmenopausal women, a decrease in estrogen levels is associated with a decrease in gut microbial diversity and richness, as well as increased permeability of the gut barrier, which allows for low-grade inflammation. The direct effects of estrogen status on the association between bone and the gut microbiome were observed in untreated and treated ovariectomized women. In addition to the direct effects of estrogens on bone remodeling, estrogen therapy could reduce the risk of postmenopausal osteoporosis by preventing increased gut epithelial permeability, bacterial translocation and inflammaging. However, in studies comparing the gut microbiota of older women, there were no changes at the phylum level, suggesting that age-related comorbidities may have a greater impact on changes in the gut microbiota than menopausal status does. Summary Estrogens modify bone health not only by directly influencing bone remodeling, but also indirectly by influencing the gut microbiota, gut barrier function and the resulting changes in immune system reactivity.

Summary This paper provides a framework for the development of national guidelines for the management of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis in men and women aged 18 years and over in whom oral glucocorticoid therapy is considered for 3 months or longer. Introduction The need for updated guidelines for Europe and other parts of the world was recognised by the International Osteoporosis Foundation and the European Calcified Tissue Society, which set up a joint Guideline Working Group at the end of 2010. Methods and results The epidemiology of GIO is reviewed. Assessment of risk used a fracture probability-based approach, and intervention thresholds were based on 10-year probabilities using FRAX. The efficacy of intervention was assessed by a systematic review. Conclusions Guidance for glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis is updated in the light of new treatments and methods of assessment. National guidelines derived from this resource need to be tailored within the national healthcare framework of each country.

Summary A 12-month morning teriparatide (TPTD) administration resulted in a larger increase in the lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) than the evening application. The results indicate that the response of bone cells to teriparatide treatment depends on dosing time. Introduction The aim of this study was to assess the long-term effects of the morning vs. the evening teriparatide administration on BMD and bone turnover markers (BTMs) in postmenopausal osteoporosis. Methods Fifty women with established postmenopausal osteoporosis were randomized to 12-month treatment with 20 μg of TPTD, administered daily in the morning or in the evening. The BMD and serum concentrations of C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen, N-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PINP), and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase isoform 5b (TRAP 5b) were measured at baseline, after 6 and 12 months. General linear model-repeated measurements were used to analyze the data. Results After 12 months, the lumbar spine BMD grew markedly ( p  < 0.001) with a significantly greater increase in the morning arm compared to the evening arm (9.1% vs. 4.8%, respectively, p  < 0.05). The BMD at the distal radius significantly decreased ( p  < 0.001), with no differences between the arms. The BMD at proximal femur did not change significantly. After 6 months, the BTMs were significantly increased compared with baseline ( p  < 0.001). The increases in the evening arm vs. the morning arm, however, were more pronounced in PINP (+358% vs. +215%, respectively) and in TRAP 5b (+70% vs. +37%, respectively) (both p  < 0.05). Conclusion 12-month morning administration of TPTD resulted in a larger increase in the lumbar spine BMD than the evening application. The timing of TPTD administration may be important for its efficacy.