FIRST MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY FOR THE TREATMENT OF OSTEOPOROSIS

Denosumab is the first monoclonal antibody for the treatment of osteoporosis in post-menopausal women. Its development stems from a basic research program developed in the 1990's that allowed sketching out the molecular signaling pathway that underlies the osteoclast maturation, a type of cell that removes bone tissue on a microscopic scale. Clinical studies have shown a decrease in fracture incidence (vertebral and non-vertebral) for post-menopausal women. Furthermore, there has been no evidence (stage II and III studies) of any increase in the risk of infections, neoplasia; or a delay in fracture consolidation. Denosumab, according to the first evaluation, is a promising treatment for post-menopausal osteoporosis; being possibly useful for preventing or delaying the development of bone metastases in those tumors that most frequently cause them.