Annual Shot of Aclasta Slashes Fracture Risk

On Saturday, Swiss drugmaker Novartis, announced that clinical tests had shown that the Aclasta medicine had proved effective in reducing incidence of bone fracture in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO).

The preliminary data of the clinical tests reveal that if the drug is administered once a year, it prevents spine and hip fractures. The drug thus eliminates the need for a strict daily pill schedule.

Aclasta, chemically known as zoledronic acid was tested on 7,736 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. The dose was given on an annual basis through a 15-minute infusion. It reduced risk of spine fractures by 70 percent and of hip fractures by 40 percent. The data was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research in Philadelphia.

The best part of the trials was that the side effects of the drug were minor and short-lived. The most common side-effects included fever, muscle pain, flu-like symptoms and bone pain. Most occurred within three days of administration of the drug and were resolved within three days of onset.

Osteoporosis is a metabolic disease that causes bones to become more and more fragile, leading to an increased risk of fracture, particularly of the spine, wrist, hip, pelvis and upper arm. An estimated 50.7 million people suffer from osteoporosis in Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Spain and the United States. One in two women with PMO suffers an osteoporotic fracture.

Aclasta would prove to be a boon for such patients. It slows the speed at which cells called osteoclasts break down the bone while other cells build it back up.

Novartis plans to apply for U.S. approval early next year, to sell the drug which will be known as Reclast in the United States.