--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Osteoporosis -- a skeletal disease that
traditionally affects those age fifty and older -- is a major public
health problem. New guidelines released by the National Osteoporosis
Foundation (NOF) call for bone mineral density (BMD) testing for all
men ages seventy and older and for younger men with risk factors for
bone loss. BMD testing is also urged for women sixty-five and older,
and postmenopausal women that have risk factors for bone loss.
"These guidelines represent the newest advances healthcare
professionals can use to identify and treat patients with low bone
mass, risk of fracture, or osteoporosis," says noted expert Dr. Warren
Levy, President and CEO of Unigene Laboratories. "As life expectancy
rates continue to rise, osteoporosis will only have a greater impact
on national health. The NOF guidelines will help physicians to
diagnose and treat the disease."
Osteoporosis occurs when deteriorating tissue reduces bone density
in the spine, hip, and other areas. Today, osteoporosis is a major
health threat for forty-four million Americans, 80% of whom are women.
In the United States, ten million individuals already have the disease
while three times as many are believed to have osteopenia, a decrease
in bone mineral density that can be a precursor condition to
osteoporosis.
Fractures caused by either osteoporosis or low bone density can
lead to chronic pain, disability, or worse. Fortunately, if
osteoporosis does develop, various treatments are available.
The leading category of osteoporosis drugs is bisphosphonates,
non-hormonal drugs that bind to bones to protect against tissue
breakdown. However, recent reports have associated bisphosphonates
with osteonecrosis ("bone death") of the jaw, severe bone/joint pain
and potentially severe gastrointestinal side effects.
Alternative drug treatments for reduction in fracture risk do
exist such as: calcitonin, parathyroid hormone, estrogen, and
testosterone. Calcitonin is the active ingredient in Fortical, a nasal
treatment developed by Unigene and marketed by Upsher-Smith
Laboratories. "Nasal calcitonin products have been shown to help
maintain proper bone density," says Dr. Levy.
While until now, the medical community had no clear guidelines for
assessing fracture risk, Dr. Levy believes the new NOF guidelines will
help to educate the public and medical community on the prevention and
treatment of osteoporosis. "As in most things," says Dr. Levy,
"education is a strong first line of defense."
For more information, log on to www.unigene.com.
CONTACT: IRG
Lynn Granito, 212-825-3210
SOURCE: Unigene
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