Anti-osteoporosis medicine wins awards for innovation

Osteoporosis is a major health problem that is seen to increase substantially over the next several decades because of the large increase in the number of persons aged 65 and older. In the Philippines alone, it is estimated that its incidence will reach alarming proportions by 2025.

Fractures, which affect millions of people worldwide, are the most conspicuous clinical expression of osteoporosis. They occur as a result of the decrease in bone mass.

It is well recognized that hip fracture patients have a substantial increase in morbidity. Several studies have shown that daily life activities are reduced in these patients. This reduction can reach as much as 50 percent of the prefracture status one year after the fracture.

Likewise, studies have shown that hip and vertebral fractures have a negative impact on the patients’ quality of life. Thus, the desired outcome in osteoporosis treatment and prevention is the reduction in fractures.

Les Laboratoires Servier, a French pharmaceutical company, has been on the forefront of research and development of new drugs in the field of cardiovascular diseases, endocrinology and diabetes, neurosciences, and bone and joint disease.

Recently, Servier received three very important awards for its new and innovative product in the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis, strontium ranelate: the 2004 Osteoporosis Therapeutics Industry Innovation and Advancement of the Year Award by Frost and Sullivan (USA); FUNDAMED (Fundacion de Ciencias del Medicamento y Productos Sanitarios) Award for innovation for the best pharmacoeconomic profile in the category of Therapeutic Innovation (Spain); and

most recently, in June 2005, the Prix Galien, France’s prestigious award for pharmaceutical research.

Strontium ranelate is the first antiosteoporotic agent that addresses the underlying cause of osteoporosis and that is the imbalance in bone formation and bone resorption.

Strontium ranelate simultaneously increases bone formation while it decreases bone resorption, thus resulting in new and strong bone.

Studies have shown that continuous administration of strontium ranelate for three years resulted in a 41 percent reduction in vertebral fractures as well as a 36 percent reduction in hip fractures.

Likewise, use of strontium ranelate did not result in severe adverse reactions, such as the case in current available drugs for osteoporosis.

Strontium ranelate was recently approved for marketing in the Philippines for the treatment and prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Servier Philippines Inc. markets strontium ranelate.

For interested parties, consult your doctor for prescription and details on how to use this product.