Advertise With UsAdvertise on our extensive network of industry websites and newsletters.
Get the PBR newsletterSign up to our free email to get all the latest PBR
news.Amgen and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) said the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has recommended Denosumab for women with osteoporosis for whom oral bisphosphonates are unsuitable due to contraindication, intolerance or inability to comply with the special administration instructions.
Subscribe to our email newsletter
Administered every six months as a convenient subcutaneous injection, Denosumab reduces the risk of fractures at the spine, hip and other key non-vertebral sites.
Amgen and GSK said Denosumab has been designed to mimic the natural processes that control the breakdown of bone and specifically targets the cells that actively break down bones (osteoclasts), resulting in greater bone density.
University of Edinburgh Rheumatology Arthritis Research Stuart Ralston said Denosumab is a highly effective treatment which will be particularly useful in patients who are having problems taking the standard treatment which is a tablet that is given once a week.
"Denosumab will provide us with an alterative option for these patients since it can be given easily by the patient’s GP or practice nurse by a subcutaneous injection once every six months without the need for a hospital visit," Ralston said.
GSK medical director Pim Kon said following positive NICE guidance on Denosumab for patients in England and Wales, they are delighted that women in Scotland unable to tolerate other treatments for postmenopausal osteoporosis now have access to an alternative, efficacious treatment option.