Abaloparatide promotes bone repair of vertebral defects in ovariectomized rats by increasing bone formation

Osteoporotic vertebral fracture (OVF) is the most common type of osteoporotic fracture and is associated with immobility and mortality. Bone anabolic agents, such as abaloparatide (ABL), are usually administered to patients with OVF to prevent subsequent fractures. Although several studies have shown that bone anabolic agents promote healing of long bone fractures, there is little evidence of their healing effect on vertebral bone fractures. In the present study, we investigated the effect of ABL on vertebral bone defects using ovariectomized (OVX) rats with vertebral body drill-hole defects, an animal model of OVF. Eight-week-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to OVX, followed by the 32-36 days of bone depletion period, once-daily subcutaneous ABL was administered to OVX rats at a dose of 30 μg/kg for a maximum of 6 weeks from the day of the vertebral defect surgery. We found that ABL significantly increased bone mineral content and improved trabecular structural parameters at the vertebral defect site. Moreover, ABL significantly increased bone strength of the defected vertebrae. Bone histochemical analysis revealed formation of thick trabecular bone networks at the defect site after ABL administration, consistent with an improvement in trabecular structural parameters by ABL. ABL increased ALPase- and PHOSPHO1-positive osteoblastic cells and ALPase/PCNA double-positive cells, indicating enhanced preosteoblast proliferation as well as bone formation at the defect site. On the other hand, ABL did not affect the number of cathepsin K-positive osteoclasts per bone surface, suggesting that ABL did not promote excessive bone resorption. Our findings suggest that ABL is useful not only for preventing secondary vertebral fractures but also for promoting bone healing in OVF.

Real-World Evidence to Support the Registration of a New Osteoporosis Medicinal Product in Europe

Real-World Evidence (RWE), which has historically been used to support post-approval safety studies, has recently gained acceptance for new drug applications as supportive evidence or as new clinical evidence for medicinal products with orphan designation and/or in disease areas with high unmet need. Here, we present a case study for the use of RWE in the approval of abaloparatide in the European Union (EU) under the tradename Eladynos. In addition to data from the pivotal Phase 3 study, the marketing authorization application (MAA) included clinical data from additional interventional and observational studies, as well as post-marketing data obtained from the United States (US) market since approval of abaloparatide by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2017. The new interventional studies were not designed to assess fracture efficacy and cardiovascular safety which were topics of concern raised by the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) during their review of the initial MAA submitted in 2015. However, these studies taken together with the RWE formed the basis for a new MAA. Prior to the planned resubmission in the EU, national Scientific Advice (SA) was sought on the proposed clinical program, specifically on the relevance of Real-World Data (RWD) derived from an observational study to support and complement the efficacy and safety data already available from prospective randomized clinical trials. This case study demonstrates successful use of RWE to address a previously identified gap raised by the CHMP during the review of an earlier MAA, which led to the approval of Eladynos for the treatment of osteoporosis in the EU.

Treatment patterns in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis using abaloparatide: a real-world observational study

Review of medical records from 173 women with osteoporosis who received abaloparatide treatment revealed that 96.0% had at least one visit for osteoporosis management and 55.5% had medication support group access. The most common reasons for discontinuing treatment were financial (31.2%) and tolerability (22.8%). Most patients (64.8%) completed treatment as prescribed.

PURPOSE

Abaloparatide is approved for the treatment of women with postmenopausal osteoporosis at high risk for fracture. This study evaluated real-world treatment patterns for patients new to abaloparatide, regardless of osteoporosis treatment history.

METHODS

Data for patients with ≥ 1 prescription for abaloparatide were collected retrospectively from six academic and clinical practice settings across the US.

RESULTS

A total of 173 patients were enrolled (mean [SD] age, 69.8 [7.4] years). At the time of abaloparatide treatment initiation, 78.6% had received other osteoporosis medications. Mean (SD) time from discontinuation of osteoporosis medications prior to initiation of abaloparatide was 1.7 (3.2) years. Twenty-four months of follow-up data from the initiation date of abaloparatide was collected from 94.0% of patients and 6.0% of patients had 12-24 months of follow-up. During the follow-up period, 96.0% of patients had at least one visit for osteoporosis management and 55.5% had access to a medication support program. The median duration of therapy was 18.6 months and 105/162 (64.8%) completed abaloparatide treatment as prescribed. The most common reasons for treatment discontinuation were financial (31.2%) and tolerability (22.8%). Following completion of a course of treatment with abaloparatide, 82/162 (50.6%) patients transitioned to another osteoporosis medication. The median time between abaloparatide treatment course completion and the initiation of follow-on medication was 21 days.

CONCLUSION

Most patients completed treatment with abaloparatide as prescribed, and over half continued with an antiresorptive agent. This favorable conduct may be the result of regular follow-up visits and accessibility to both medication and patient support services.

Abaloparatide is more potent than teriparatide in restoring bone mass and strength in type 1 diabetic male mice

This study investigated the efficacy of the two FDA-approved bone anabolic ligands of the parathyroid hormone receptor 1 (PTH1R), teriparatide or human parathyroid hormone 1-34 (PTH) and abaloparatide (ABL), to restoring skeletal health using a preclinical murine model of streptozotocin-induced T1-DM. Intermittent daily subcutaneous injections of equal molar doses (12 pmoles/g/day) of PTH (50 ng/g/day), ABL (47.5 ng/g/day), or vehicle, were administered for 28 days to 5-month-old C57Bl/6 J male mice with established T1-DM or control (C) mice. ABL was superior to PTH in increasing or restoring bone mass in control or T1-MD mice, respectively, which was associated with superior stimulation of trabecular and periosteal bone formation, upregulation of osteoclastic/osteoblastic gene expression, and increased circulating bone remodeling markers. Only ABL corrected the reduction in ultimate load, which is a measure of bone strength, induced by T1-DM, and it also increased energy to ultimate load. In addition, bones from T1-DM mice treated with PTH or ABL exhibited increased ultimate stress, a material index, compared to T1-DM mice administered with vehicle. And both PTH and ABL prevented the increased expression of the Wnt antagonist Sost/sclerostin displayed by T1-DM mice. Further, PTH and ABL increased to a similar extent the circulating bone resorption marker CTX and the bone formation marker P1NP in T1-DM after 2 weeks of treatment; however, only ABL sustained these increases after 4 weeks of treatment. We conclude that at equal molar doses, ABL is more effective than PTH in increasing bone mass and restoring the cortical and trabecular bone lost with T1-DM, due to higher and longer-lasting increases in bone remodeling.

Current and Developing Pharmacologic Agents for Improving Skeletal Health in Adults with Osteogenesis Imperfecta

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a genetic disorder characterized by increased bone fragility largely caused by defects in structure, synthesis, or post-translational processing of type I collagen. Drugs currently used to improve skeletal health in OI were initially developed to treat osteoporosis and clinical trials are ongoing to study their effectiveness in OI adults. Additionally, novel bone-protective agents are in preclinical studies and various phases of OI clinical trials. This review summarizes current knowledge on available pharmacologic agents and current drug trials involving OI participants. A PubMed online database search of all study types published in the English language using the terms "osteogenesis imperfecta," "OI," and "brittle bone disease" was performed in August 2022. Articles screened were restricted to adults. A ClinicalTrials.gov database search of all studies involving "osteogenesis imperfecta" was performed in August 2023. Although clinical trial data are limited, bisphosphonates and teriparatide may be useful in improving bone mineral density. As of yet, no clinical trials are available that adequately evaluate the usefulness of current therapies in reducing fracture risk. Several therapeutics, including teriparatide, setrusumab, anti-TGF-β antibodies, and allogeneic stem cells, are being studied in clinical trials. Preclinical studies involving Dickkopf-1 antagonists present promising data in non-OI bone disease, and could be useful in OI. Research is ongoing to improve therapeutic options for adults with OI and clinical trials involving gene-editing may be possible in the coming decade.

The Safety and Efficacy of Abaloparatide on Postmenopausal Osteoporosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

PURPOSE

The aging of the population increases the incidence of postmenopausal osteoporosis, which threatens the health of elderly women. Abaloparatide is a synthetic peptide analogue of the human parathyroid hormone-related protein that has recently been approved for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Its efficacy and safety have not been systematically evaluated. Therefore, studies on the efficacy and safety of abaloparatide could be of assistance in the clinical medication of postmenopausal osteoporosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of abaloparatide in postmenopausal osteoporosis.

METHODS

PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases were electronically searched from inception to July 6, 2023, for relevant randomized controlled trials. Two review authors independently conducted the study screening, quality assessment (based on the Risk of Bias Assessment Tool recommended in the Cochrane handbook), and data extraction. Outcome measures included bone mineral density (BMD), bone turnover and metabolic markers, incidence of fractures, and adverse events. Data analyses were processed by using Stata SE15.

FINDINGS

Ultimately, 8 randomized controlled trials, involving a total of 3705 postmenopausal women, were included. Meta-analysis showed that abaloparatide administration significantly increased the BMD of the lumbar vertebrae (standardized mean difference [SMD], 1.28 [95% CI, 0.81-1.76); I2 = 78.5%]), femoral neck (SMD, 0.70 [95% CI, 0.17-1.23; I2 = 75.7%]), and hip bone (SMD, 0.86 [95% CI, 0.53-1.20; I2 = 60.4%]) in postmenopausal women compared with the control group. Type I procollagen N-terminal propeptide, a bone formation marker, was also elevated after abaloparatide administration. The incidence of vertebral fracture was lower in the abaloparatide group than in the control group (risk ratio, 0.13; 95% CI, 0.06-0.26; I2 = 0%). There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse events between the abaloparatide and the placebo groups (risk ratio, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.99-1.06; I2 = 0%).

IMPLICATIONS

Abaloparatide has a protective effect on women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. It could reduce their risk for vertebral fracture; increase their BMD of the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and hip; and alleviate symptoms and complications of postmenopausal osteoporosis with considerable safety. Limitations of this study include not searching the gray literature and not performing a subgroup analysis. PROSPERO Registration No.: CRD42022370944.

Comparison of the cost-effectiveness of sequential treatment with abaloparatide in US men and women at very high risk of fractures

BACKGROUND

Osteoporotic-related fractures represent an increasing burden to patients, health care systems and society.

AIMS

This study estimated cost-effectiveness of sequential treatment with abaloparatide (ABL) followed by alendronate (ALN) compared to relevant alternative strategies in US men and women aged 50 to 80 years at very high fracture risk (bone mineral density T-score ≤  - 2.5 and a recent fracture).

METHODS

A lifetime Markov-based microsimulation model was used to estimate healthcare costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Comparators were sequential treatment with unbranded teriparatide (TPTD)/ALN, generic ALN monotherapy, and no treatment. Analyses were conducted based on initial fracture site (hip, vertebral, or any fracture) and treatment efficacy data (derived from clinical trials or a recent network meta-analysis).

RESULTS

From all analyses completed, sequential ABL/ALN demonstrated more QALYs for lower healthcare costs versus unbranded TPTD/ALN. No treatment was dominated (higher costs for less QALYs) versus ALN monotherapy. Sequential ABL/ALN resulted in favorable cost-effectiveness (at US threshold of $150,000/QALY) versus generic ALN monotherapy in men aged ≥ 50 years with any fracture type, women aged ≥ 65 years with any fracture type, and women aged ≥ 55 years having a hip or vertebral fracture.

DISCUSSION

Similar cost-effectiveness of sequential ABL/ALN versus unbranded TPTD/ALN, ALN monotherapy, and no treatment was observed in both US men and women at very high fracture risk, with a moderate improvement in cost-effectiveness in men versus women and in patients with a hip or vertebral fracture.

CONCLUSIONS

Sequential therapy with ABL/ALN was cost-effective in US men and women at very high risk of fractures.

Nocebo-associated treatment discontinuation with subcutaneous anti-osteoporotic drugs. A systematic review and meta-analysis of placebo-arm dropouts in randomized-controlled trials

OBJECTIVE

Nocebo is a concept of therapeutics referring to unpleasant symptoms attributed by a patient to a drug, due to negative anticipation. Patients receiving oral anti-osteoporotic drugs in randomized controlled trials (RCT) can experience adverse events leading to dropout, implying that nocebo contributes to treatment discontinuation for these drugs. In this study we aim to investigate the nocebo effect of subcutaneous anti-osteoporotic drugs with a higher compliance rate than orally administered drugs.

STUDY DESIGN

We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS, and Cochrane databases for double-blind trials investigating subcutaneous anti-osteoporotic drugs for osteoporosis (namely, denosumab, teriparatide, abaloparatide and romosozumab) published up to May 2023.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Dropouts due to reported adverse events in the placebo arms ("nocebo dropouts").

RESULTS

Data from 17 trials were extracted. Among 10,529 placebo-treated patients the pooled nocebo-dropout percentage was 3 % for denosumab (average: 0.03; 95 % CI: 0.01-0.05), 1 % for romosozumab (average: 0.01; 95 % CI: 0.00-0.03) and 6 % for teriparatide and abaloparatide (average: 0.06; 95 % CI: 0.05-0.07). Nocebo-dropouts were significantly higher in men than women (6 % vs. 3 %, respectively, p = 0.012), in older (mean age >68 years) than in younger patients (5 % vs. 1 %, respectively, p = 0.017) and in those with more severe osteoporosis (based on the percentage of participants with prior fragility-related fractures in the study cohort) compared with patients with no prior fracture history (4 % vs. 1 %, respectively, p = 0.046).

CONCLUSION

Nocebo responses may contribute to treatment discontinuation with subcutaneous anti-osteoporotic drugs in clinical practice. Higher nocebo-related dropout rates in the higher-risk RCT population (older patients, males, those with prior fractures) show that nocebo mechanisms have the potential to hinder therapeutic efforts to specific populations who would benefit most. Prospero registration number CRD42020212843.

The Sequential Therapy in Osteoporosis

Background

Osteoporosis management often involves a sequential treatment approach to optimize patient outcomes and minimize fracture risks. This strategy is tailored to individual patient characteristics, treatment responses, and fracture risk profiles.

Methods

A thorough literature review was systematically executed using prominent databases, including PubMed and EMBASE. The primary aim was to identify original articles and clinical trials evaluating the effectiveness of sequential therapy with anti-osteoporosis drugs, focusing on the period from 1995 to 2023. The analysis encompassed an in-depth examination of osteoporosis drugs, delineating their mechanisms of action, side effects, and current trends as elucidated in the literature.

Results and Discussion

Our study yielded noteworthy insights into the optimal sequencing of pharmacologic agents for the long-term treatment of patients necessitating multiple drugs. Notably, the achievement of optimal improvements in bone mass is observed when commencing treatment with an anabolic medication, followed by the subsequent utilization of an antiresorptive drug. This stands in contrast to initiating therapy with a bisphosphonate, which may potentially diminish outcomes in the post-anabolic intervention period. Furthermore, it has been discerned that caution should be exercised against transitioning from denosumab to PTH homologs due to the adverse effects of heightened bone turnover and sustained weakening of bone structure. Despite the absence of fracture data substantiating the implementation of integrated anabolic/antiresorptive pharmacotherapy, the incorporation of denosumab and teriparatide presents a potential avenue worthy of consideration for individuals at a heightened vulnerability to fragility fractures.

Conclusions

A judiciously implemented sequential treatment strategy in osteoporosis offers a flexible and tailored approach to address diverse clinical scenarios, optimizing fracture prevention and patient outcomes.

A real-world pharmacovigilance study of abaloparatide based on the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS)

Abaloparatide (ABL) is a US Food and Drug Administration-approved parathyroid hormone-related peptide analog for treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women at high risk of fracture. However, real-world data regarding its long-term safety and tolerability in large sample population are incomplete. We evaluated abaloparatide-associated safety signals by data mining of the FDA pharmacovigilance database.

INTRODUCTION

We investigated 33,480(0.14%) ABL-related adverse events (AEs) through data mining of Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) retrospectively.

METHODS

Reporting odds ratio (ROR), the proportional reporting ratio (PRR), the Bayesian confidence propagation neural network (BCPNN), and the multi-item gamma Poisson shrinker (MGPS) were employed to quantify the signals of ABL-related AEs from 2017Quarter2 to 2022.Serious and non-serious cases were compared by Mann-Whitney U test or Chi-squared (χ2) test.

RESULTS

We collected 8,470,497 reports from the FAERS database, including 11,487 reports defined ABL as the primary suspected (PS) drug. Additionally, 36.16% of the reports were submitted by healthcare professionals (n=4154), compared to 62.26% reported by consumers (n=7140). A total 99 signals simultaneously conforming to four algorithms were detected, among which, 35 signals were identified as unexpected signals. Such as growing pains (n=13), waist circumference increased (n=21), sensory disturbance (n=103), tinnitus (n=65), visual acuity reduced (n=54), blood alkaline phosphatase increased (n=61), and hair growth abnormal (n=13). Patient age (p < 0.001) might be associated with an increased risk of AEs severity. The most common timeframe for AE occurrence was 0-7 days.

CONCLUSION

Our study provided a deeper and broader understanding of abaloparatide's safety profiles, which would help healthcare professionals to mitigate the risk of AEs in clinical practice, a low number of unexpected AEs supporting ongoing additional pharmacovigilance.

The effects of abaloparatide on hip geometry and biomechanical properties in Japanese osteoporotic patients assessed using DXA-based hip structural analysis: results of the Japanese phase 3 ACTIVE-J trial

Daily subcutaneous injection of 80 μg abaloparatide increased bone mineral density in Japanese patients with osteoporosis at high fracture risk in the ACTIVE-J trial. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry-based hip structural analysis from ACTIVE-J data showed improved hip geometry and biomechanical properties with abaloparatide compared with placebo.

PURPOSE

Abaloparatide (ABL) increased bone mineral density (BMD) in Japanese patients with osteoporosis at high fracture risk in the ACTIVE-J trial. To evaluate the effect of ABL on hip geometry and biomechanical properties, hip structural analysis (HSA) was performed using ACTIVE-J trial data.

METHODS

Hip dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scans from postmenopausal women and men (ABL, n = 128; placebo, n = 65) at baseline and up to week 78 were analyzed to extract bone geometric parameters at the narrow neck (NN), intertrochanteric region (IT), and proximal femoral shaft (FS). Computed tomography (CT)-based BMD and HSA indices were compared between baseline and week 78.

RESULTS

ABL treatment showed increased mean percent change from baseline to week 78 in cortical thickness at the NN (5.3%), IT (5.3%), and FS (2.9%); cross-sectional area at the NN (5.0%), IT (5.0%), and FS (2.6%); cross-sectional moment of inertia at the NN (7.6%), IT (5.1%), and FS (2.5%); section modulus at the NN (7.4%), IT (5.4%), and FS (2.4%); and decreased mean percent change in buckling ratio (BR) at the IT (- 5.0%). ABL treatment showed increased mean percent change in total volumetric BMD (vBMD; 2.7%) and trabecular vBMD (3.2%) at the total hip and decreased mean percent change in BR at femoral neck (- 4.1%) at week 78 vs baseline. All the changes noted here were significant vs placebo (P < 0.050 using t-test).

CONCLUSION

A 78-week treatment with ABL showed improvement in HSA parameters associated with hip geometry and biomechanical properties vs placebo.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

JAPIC CTI-173575.

Abaloparatide dose-dependently increases bone mineral density in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis: a phase 2 study

INTRODUCTION

This study aimed to determine the efficacy of abaloparatide in increasing bone mineral density (BMD) and its safety in postmenopausal Japanese women with osteoporosis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-finding study of abaloparatide in postmenopausal Japanese women at high fracture risk. The primary endpoint was the change in lumbar spine (LS) BMD from baseline at the last visit after daily subcutaneous injections of placebo or 40 or 80 µg abaloparatide. Other endpoints included time-course changes in LS BMD at 12, 24, and 48 weeks, in total hip (TH) and femoral neck (FN) BMDs, and in bone turnover markers.

RESULTS

Increases in LS BMD with 40 and 80 µg abaloparatide were significantly higher than that with placebo (6.6% and 11.5%, respectively), with significant between-group differences for the abaloparatide groups (4.9%). TH BMD increased by 0.4%, 1.6%, and 2.9% and FN BMD increased by 0.6%, 1.5%, and 2.4% in the placebo and 40 and 80 µg abaloparatide groups, respectively. Serum PINP rapidly increased by 67.3% and 140.7% and serum CTX slowly increased by 16.4% and 34.5% in the 40 and 80 µg abaloparatide groups, respectively. Although more adverse events were observed in the abaloparatide groups, they were mild to moderate and not dose dependent.

CONCLUSION

In postmenopausal Japanese women with osteoporosis at high fracture risk, abaloparatide for 48 weeks dose-dependently increased LS, TH, and FN BMDs, supporting further investigation with 80 μg abaloparatide for the treatment of osteoporosis in this population.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

JapicCTI-132381.

Advances in Osteoporosis Therapy: Focus on Osteoanabolic Agents, Secondary Fracture Prevention, and Perioperative Bone Health

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This review summarizes recently published data and other developments around osteoanabolic osteoporosis therapies in patients with very high fracture risk, including those undergoing bone-related surgery.

RECENT FINDINGS

Two osteoanabolic agents, abaloparatide and romosozumab, were recently approved for treatment of patients with osteoporosis at high fracture risk. These agents, along with teriparatide, are valuable for primary and secondary fracture prevention. Orthopedic surgeons are well positioned to facilitate secondary fracture prevention via referrals to fracture liaison services or other bone health specialist colleagues. This review aims to help surgeons understand how to identify patients with sufficiently high fracture risk to warrant consideration of osteoanabolic therapy. Recent evidence around the perioperative use and potential benefits of osteoanabolic agents in fracture healing and other orthopedic settings (e.g., spinal fusion and arthroplasty) in individuals with osteoporosis is also discussed. Osteoanabolic agents should be considered for patients with osteoporosis at very high fracture risk, including those with prior osteoporotic fractures and those with poor bone health who are undergoing bone-related surgery.

Abaloparatide prevents immobilization-induced cortical but not trabecular bone loss after spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes severe and resistant sublesional disuse bone loss. Abaloparatide, a modified parathyroid hormone related peptide, is an FDA approved drug for treatment of severe osteoporosis with potent anabolic activity. The effects of abaloparatide on SCI-induced bone loss remain undefined. Thus, female mice underwent sham or severe contusion thoracic SCI causing hindlimb paralysis. Mice then received subcutaneous injection of vehicle or 20 μg/kg/day abaloparatide for 35 days. Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) analysis of the distal and midshaft femoral regions of the SCI-vehicle mice revealed reduced trabecular fractional bone volume (56%), thickness (75%), and cortical thickness (80%) compared to sham-vehicle controls. Treatment with abaloparatide did not prevent SCI-induced changes in trabecular or cortical bone. However, histomorphometry evaluation of the SCI-abaloparatide mice demonstrated that abaloparatide treatment increased osteoblast (241%) and osteoclast (247%) numbers and the mineral apposition rate (131%) compared to SCI-vehicle animals. In another independent experiment, treatment with 80 μg/kg/day abaloparatide significantly attenuated SCI-induced loss in cortical bone thickness (93%) when compared to SCI-vehicle mice (79%) but did not prevent SCI-induced trabecular bone loss or elevation in cortical porosity. Biochemical analysis of the bone marrow supernatants of the femurs showed that SCI-abaloparatide animals had 2.3-fold increase in procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide, a bone formation marker than SCI-vehicle animals. SCI groups had 70% higher levels of cross-linked C-telopeptide of type I collagen, a bone resorption marker, than sham-vehicle mice. These findings suggest that abaloparatide protects the cortical bone against the deleterious effects of SCI by promoting bone formation.

Is abaloparatide more efficacious on increasing bone mineral density than teriparatide for women with postmenopausal osteoporosis? An updated meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Osteoporosis poses a challenge to public health, causing fragility fractures, especially in postmenopausal women. Abaloparatide (ABL) is an effective anabolic agent to improve bone formation and resorption among postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Our meta-analysis aims to assess the effectiveness and safety of ABL versus teriparatide (TPTD) in improving bone mineral density (BMD).

METHODS

We searched Medline, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane databases and Clinicaltrial.gov until September 2, 2022. We included data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and post hoc analyses of RCTs. Outcomes included BMD change from baseline and risks of adverse events. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) tool was used to evaluate the quality of outcomes.

RESULTS

Four studies including 16 subgroups were included in this study. In particular, RCTs with head-to-head comparisons of ABL and TPTD were used in the meta-analysis, and all were from manufacturer-sponsored trials. All parameters in 24 weeks except lumbar spine (versus TPTD) showed significant advantages in the ABL group. Only the results of two subgroups in ABL versus TPTD demonstrated High GRADE quality (femoral neck: weighted mean difference (WMD) = 1.58 [0.52, 2.63]; Total hip: WMD = 1.46 [0.59, 2.32]). However, our fracture data were insufficient. Besides, we found no evident difference in serious adverse events or deaths in either group and the incidence of hypercalcemia in the ABL group lessened by 51% compared with the TPTD group. Nevertheless, compared with placebo, ABL demonstrated higher risks of nausea and palpitations.

CONCLUSION

ABL demonstrated a beneficial effect on BMD compared to both placebo and TPTD for postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. ABL also had insignificantly lowered adverse event risk than TPTD. ABL is an alternative for patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Abaloparatide Effects on Cortical Volumetric BMD and Estimated Strength Indices of Hip Subregions by 3D-DXA in Women With Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

In ACTIVE, abaloparatide increased areal BMD (aBMD) of the hip and femoral neck vs teriparatide and placebo in women with osteoporosis. Previously, 3D-processing of dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans of a subgroup of ACTIVE subjects showed similar increases in trabecular volumetric BMD (Tb.vBMD) and greater increases in cortical vBMD (Ct.vBMD) of the total hip with abaloparatide vs teriparatide. The current analyses from this subgroup describe 2D- and 3D-DXA data for hip subregions. Randomly selected subjects from ACTIVE (n = 250/treatment group) who received 18 mo of placebo, abaloparatide 80 µg, or open-label teriparatide 20 µg by daily subcutaneous injection underwent hip DXA at baseline, and mo 6 and 18 of treatment. Areal BMD of the femoral neck, trochanter, and femoral shaft was determined using standard 2D-DXA and 3D-SHAPER software to retrospectively evaluate changes from baseline in volumetric parameters of these 3 hip subregions, including trabecular and cortical segmentation. Changes in biomechanical parameters cross-sectional moment of inertia (CSMI), section modulus (Z), and buckling ratio were also evaluated. Femoral neck, trochanter, and shaft aBMD increased in the abaloparatide and teriparatide groups at mo 6 and 18 vs placebo, with greater increases for abaloparatide vs teriparatide at the femoral neck at mo 6 and the shaft at mo 6 and 18. All 3 subregions showed similar significant increases in Tb.vBMD with abaloparatide and teriparatide vs placebo, whereas Ct.vBMD of all 3 subregions showed greater increases after 18 mo of abaloparatide vs teriparatide. Biomechanical parameters improved in all subregions with abaloparatide and teriparatide vs placebo, with greater improvements in CSMI and Z of the femoral neck and lower shaft after 6 and 18 mo of abaloparatide vs teriparatide. Differential femoral neck and shaft Ct.vBMD responses may explain the greater increases in CSMI and Z of those subregions with abaloparatide vs teriparatide.

Anti-sclerostin antibodies and abaloparatide have additive effects when used as a countermeasure against disuse osteopenia in female rats

Prolonged disuse and substantial mechanical unloading are particularly damaging to skeletal integrity. Preclinical studies in rodents and clinical studies have highlighted the need for potent bone anabolic drugs to counteract disuse-induced osteopenia. The aim of present study was to compare the efficacy of romosozumab (Scl-Ab) and abaloparatide (ABL), alone or in combination, to prevent botulinum toxin (BTX) induced bone loss in a rat model. Eighty female Wistar rats were divided into the following six groups: 1. Baseline (n = 12); 2. Control (Ctrl) (n = 12); 3. BTX (n = 12); 4. BTX + Scl-Ab (n = 16); 5. BTX + ABL (n = 12); and 6. BTX + Scl-Ab + ABL (n = 16). Disuse was achieved by injecting 4 IU BTX into the hind limb musculature at study start. Scl-Ab (25 mg/kg) was injected s.c. twice weekly, while ABL (80 μg/kg) was injected s.c. five days a week for four weeks. Hind limb disuse dramatically decreased muscle mass and skeletal integrity and deteriorated the cortical morphology and trabecular microstructure. Treatment with Scl-Ab alone prevented most of the adverse cortical and trabecular effects of disuse, while ABL monotherapy mainly attenuated the disuse-induced loss of femoral areal bone mineral density (aBMD). Moreover, the combination of Scl-Ab and ABL not only counteracted most of the negative skeletal effects of unloading, but also increased aBMD (+10% and +20%), epiphyseal trabecular bone volume fraction (BV/TV) (+25% and +73%), and metaphyseal bone strength (+18% and +30%) significantly above that of Scl-Ab or ABL monotherapy, respectively. The potent and additive osteoanabolic effect of Scl-Ab and ABL, when given in combination, is highly intriguing and underlines that an osteoanabolic bone gain can be maximized by utilizing two pharmaceuticals targeting different cellular signaling pathways. From a clinical perspective, a combination treatment may be warranted in patients where the osteoanabolic effect of either monotherapy is not sufficient, or if a dose-reduction is required due to adverse effects.

The use of abaloparatide to treat nonunion following dorsal closing wedge osteotomy for Freiberg's disease: A case report

A middle-aged woman who was previously a long-distance trail runner presented with chronic right forefoot pain and was diagnosed with Freiberg's disease. She suffered from nonunion after undergoing a dorsal closing wedge osteotomy. The nonunion achieved full osseous union after treatment with abaloparatide. Patient reported outcome measures taken at 19 months postoperatively indicated good to excellent clinical outcomes and satisfaction. The aim of this case is to report on the effectiveness of abaloparatide to treat nonunion and support fracture healing.

Diagnosis and Management of Osteoporosis in Advanced Kidney Disease: A Review

Osteoporosis and fractures are common in persons with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) and on maintenance dialysis. Although the diagnosis of osteoporosis in this population can be difficult, imaging, especially with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), is helpful in identifying persons with CKD at the highest risk of fracture. Although blood biomarkers including parathyroid hormone and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase concentrations can aid in assessing bone turnover state, bone biopsy remains the gold standard in determining bone turnover in persons with advanced kidney disease and osteoporosis. With the increasing armamentarium of osteoporosis drugs, it now may be possible to prevent many fractures in advanced CKD. Unfortunately, data on these drugs are limited in persons with advanced CKD. Clinicians, aided by advances in imaging, biomarkers, and bone biopsy can now use these novel agents to target bone turnover abnormalities such as adynamic bone disease and high bone turnover disease. This review will discuss the most recent literature surrounding the diagnosis, management, and monitoring of osteoporosis and fractures in persons with advanced CKD or on maintenance dialysis.

Medical treatment of osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a common chronic condition that markedly increases the risk of fractures. Osteoporotic-related fractures increase morbidity and mortality and impair quality of life. Therefore, a correct approach for fracture prevention seems mandatory. Lifestyle changes should be recommended to all patients, including weight reduction if patients are obese/overweight, increasing physical activity and avoiding alcohol consumption and smoking. Additionally, calcium and vitamin D3 should be prescribed until the vitamin D deficit is resolved. Osteoporosis treatment options mainly include antiresorptives (i.e. estrogens, selective estrogen receptor modulators, bisphosphonates, denosumab) and anabolic agents (i.e. teriparatide, abaloparatide, romosozumab). Although presenting differences in efficacy and side effects, they have all been shown to increase bone mineral density (BMD) and to reduce osteoporotic-related fractures. Monotherapy with antiresorptive agents, particularly oral bisphosphonates, should be considered routinely as the first option for treatment of postmenopausal women. However, in the case of side effects, therapeutic failure or the need for long-term use, anabolic agents may be considered. In high-risk patients, anabolic agents may be considered as an initial therapeutic option. The combination of antiresorptive and anabolic agents may be useful to increase BMD compared with monotherapy, but more information is warranted to determine the effects on fracture risk.

Abaloparatide: A review of preclinical and clinical studies

Osteoporosis is a debilitating disease characterized by reduced bone mineral density and an increased risk of fractures. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of, and map current knowledge, obtained from preclinical and clinical studies of the osteoanabolic agent abaloparatide. PubMed and Embase were meticulously searched from inception to May 4, 2021.178 titles and abstracts were screened, and 57 full-text articles were assessed for inclusion. A total of 55 articles were included; 5 (9%) in vitro studies, 21 (38%) in vivo studies, and 29 (53%) clinical studies. Preclinical in vitro studies have demonstrated receptor conformation preferability, structural insights into the receptor-agonist complex, and proliferative effects of abaloparatide on osteoblasts. Preclinical studies have shown abaloparatide to be similarly effective to teriparatide using comparable doses in both ambulating mice and rats challenged by disuse. Other animal studies have reported that abaloparatide effectively mitigates or prevents bone loss from ovariectomy, orchiectomy, and glucocorticoids and improves fracture healing. The pivotal clinical study ACTIVE demonstrated 18 months of treatment with abaloparatide substantially increase bone mineral density and reduce fracture risk in post-menopausal women compared with placebo. The extension study ACTIVExtend highlighted that subsequent treatment with alendronate sustained the bone gained by abaloparatide treatment and the reduced fracture risk for up to two years. Post-hoc sub-group analyses have also supported the efficacy and safety of abaloparatide treatment independent of various baseline risk factors. In conclusion, mounting evidence from preclinical and clinical studies has uniformly reported that abaloparatide increases bone mineral density and reduces fracture risk.

Anabolic treatments for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women

Antiresorptive agents are generally recommended as first-line treatment for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. These drugs suppress bone resorption but do not rebuild bone, limiting their efficacy. Antiresorptive use is further hampered by concerns over rare side effects, including atypical femoral fractures and osteonecrosis of the jaw. Anabolic treatments overcome limitations of antiresorptive treatment by stimulating new bone formation, reducing the risk of fracture with greater efficacy. This review summarises the latest trial data for the three anabolic agents currently available for the treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women: teriparatide, abaloparatide, and romosozumab. Data from head-to-head studies comparing anabolic and antiresorptive treatments are reviewed. At present, anabolic treatments are generally reserved for use in patients with severe osteoporosis at very high fracture risk; the factors limiting their more widespread use are discussed together with how this may change in the future.

Role of bone-forming agents in the management of osteoporosis

Recent evidence confirms the superiority of osteoanabolic therapy compared to anti-remodeling drugs for rapid improvement in bone density and fracture risk reduction, providing strong justification for the use of these anabolic agents as the initial therapy in high-risk patients, to be followed by anti-remodeling therapy. This review will highlight the results of recent studies and define the current status of osteoanabolic therapy for osteoporosis.

Anabolic Agents for Postmenopausal Osteoporosis: How Do You Choose?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

There are now three anabolic agents available for the treatment of postmenopausal women at high risk for fracture. The purpose of this review is to supply a rationale to aid in determining which agent should be used in which clinical settings.

RECENT FINDINGS

Studies over the last decade have shown that anabolic agents produce faster and larger effects against fracture than antiresorptive agents. Furthermore, trials evaluating anabolic antiresorptive treatment sequences have shown that anabolic first treatment strategies produce the greatest benefits to bone density, particularly in the hip region. However, there are no head-to-head evaluations of the three anabolic therapies with fracture outcomes or bone density, and these studies are not likely to occur. How to decide which agent to use at which time in a woman's life is unknown. We review the most significant clinical trials of anabolic agents which have assessed fracture, areal or volumetric bone density, microarchitecture, and/or bone strength, as well as information gleaned from histomorphometry studies to provide a rationale for consideration of one agent vs another in various clinical settings. There is no definitive answer to this question; all three agents increase bone strength and reduce fracture risk rapidly. Since the postmenopausal lifespan could be as long as 40-50 years, it is likely that very high-risk women will utilize different anabolic agents at different points in their lives.

Differential effects of abaloparatide and teriparatide on hip cortical volumetric BMD by DXA-based 3D modeling

In postmenopausal osteoporotic women in ACTIVE, abaloparatide reduced fracture risk and increased areal bone mineral density (BMD) more than teriparatide at the hip and wrist. DXA-based 3D modeling showed significantly greater increases in hip cortical volumetric BMD with abaloparatide versus teriparatide. This may explain differences reported in aBMD by DXA.

INTRODUCTION

In ACTIVE, abaloparatide (ABL) increased bone mineral density (BMD) shown by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) while reducing fracture incidence in postmenopausal osteoporotic women. Changes in DXA BMD with ABL, 80 μg, were significantly greater than with open-label teriparatide (TPTD), 20 μg, at cortical sites including total hip, femoral neck, and 1/3 distal radius. The purpose of this study was to better understand the relative effects of ABL and TPTD on cortical and cancellous compartments in the proximal femur.

METHODS

Hip DXA images from a subset of randomly selected patients in the ACTIVE trial (n = 250/arm) were retrospectively analyzed using three-dimensional modeling methods (3D-SHAPER software) to evaluate changes from baseline at months 6 and 18.

RESULTS

Similar significant increases in trabecular volumetric BMD (vBMD, + 9%) and cortical thickness (+ 1.5%) were observed with ABL and TPTD by 3D-DXA at 18 months. In contrast, only ABL significantly increased cortical vBMD versus baseline (+ 1.3%), and changes in both cortical vBMD and cortical surface BMD were significantly greater with ABL versus TPTD. In the TPTD group, changes in cortical vBMD were inversely correlated with changes in serum CTX (carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen) and PINP (procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide), suggesting that higher bone turnover may have attenuated cortical gains.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest previously reported differences in areal BMD increases between ABL and TPTD may be due to differential effects on cortical vBMD. Further studies are warranted to investigate how these differences affect therapeutic impact on hip strength in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.

Forearm bone mineral density and fracture incidence in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis: results from the ACTIVExtend phase 3 trial

Abaloparatide increased ultradistal radius bone mineral density (BMD) in the Abaloparatide Comparator Trial in Vertebral Endpoints (ACTIVE) trial. Over the subsequent 24 months in ACTIVExtend, ultradistal radius BMD gains were maintained with alendronate. Conversely, 1/3 radius BMD remained stable during ALN treatment in ACTIVExtend after decreasing during ACTIVE.

INTRODUCTION

Abaloparatide (ABL) increased femoral neck, total hip, and lumbar spine bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and decreased the risk of vertebral and nonvertebral fractures in ACTIVE. Effects on fracture risk and BMD were maintained subsequently with alendronate (ALN) in ACTIVExtend. In a prespecified subanalysis of ACTIVE, ABL also increased BMD at the ultradistal radius. Our objective was to determine the efficacy of ABL followed by ALN vs placebo (PBO) followed by ALN on forearm BMD and fracture risk over 43 months in ACTIVExtend.

METHODS

Ultradistal and 1/3 radius BMD (ACTIVE baseline to month 43) were measured (ABL/ALN, n = 213; PBO/ALN, n = 233). Wrist fracture rates were estimated for the ACTIVExtend intent-to-treat population (ABL/ALN, n = 558; PBO/ALN, n = 581) by Kaplan-Meier (KM) method.

RESULTS

At cumulative month 25, mean increase from ACTIVE baseline in ultradistal radius BMD was 1.1% (standard error, 0.49%) with ABL/ALN vs - 0.8% (0.43%) with PBO/ALN (P < 0.01). BMD increases with ABL were maintained with ALN through month 43 in ACTIVExtend. BMD decreases at the 1/3 radius in ACTIVE (similar with ABL and PBO) were maintained through 24 months of ALN treatment in ACTIVExtend. Wrist fractures over 43 months occurred in 15 women with ABL/ALN (KM estimate, 2.8%) and 20 with PBO/ALN (KM estimate, 3.6%) (HR = 0.77, 95% CI 0.39, 1.50; P = not significant).

CONCLUSION

Ultradistal radius BMD gains following treatment with ABL in ACTIVE were maintained over 24 months of ALN treatment in ACTIVExtend. Conversely, 1/3 radius BMD remained stable during ALN treatment in ACTIVExtend after decreasing during ACTIVE.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov : NCT01657162 submitted July 31, 2012.

Frequent administration of abaloparatide shows greater gains in bone anabolic window and bone mineral density in mice: A comparison with teriparatide

Abaloparatide (ABL) is a novel 34-amino acid peptide analog of parathyroid hormone-related protein. In clinical studies, although ABL showed a greater bone mineral density (BMD) increase than teriparatide (TPTD, human parathyroid hormone 1-34), the responses of ABL to bone formation and resorption markers were weaker, making it difficult to understand the relationship between the bone anabolic window (increase in bone formation versus resorption) and bone mass. In the present study, the effects of ABL and TPTD were compared in mice. Given that the rate of bone turnover is higher in rodents than in humans, the comparison was made with several administration regimens providing equivalent daily dosages: once daily (QD, 30 μg/kg every 24 h), twice daily (BID, 15 μg/kg every 12 h), or three times a day (TID, 10 μg/kg every 8 h). Frequent administration of ABL showed higher BMD with enhancement of trabecular and cortical bone mass and structures than that of TPTD, consistent with the clinical results seen with once daily administration. ABL increased bone formation marker levels more than TPTD with more frequent regimens, while bone resorption marker levels were not different between ABL and TPTD in all regimens. Analysis of bone histomorphometry and gene expression also suggested that ABL increased bone formation more than TPTD, while the effect on bone resorption was almost comparable between ABL and TPTD. The bone anabolic windows calculated from bone turnover markers indicated that ABL enhanced the anabolic windows more than TPTD, leading to a robust increase in BMD. The mechanism by which ABL showed a better balance of bone turnover was suggested to be partly due to the enhanced remodeling-based bone formation involved in Ephb4. Taken together, our findings would help elucidate the mechanism by which ABL shows excellent BMD gain and reduction of fractures in patients with osteoporosis.

Characterizing patients initiating abaloparatide, teriparatide, or denosumab in a real-world setting: a US linked claims and EMR database analysis

We characterized patients initiating abaloparatide (ABL), teriparatide (TPTD), or denosumab (DMAB) in a real-world clinical setting from a large medical and pharmacy claims database. Differences were noted in sex, age, pathologic fractures, comorbidity index, and prior bisphosphonate use for patients initiating ABL and TPTD compared with those receiving DMAB.

INTRODUCTION

To characterize patients initiating abaloparatide (ABL), teriparatide (TPTD), or denosumab (DMAB) treatment in a real-world clinical setting.

METHODS

Patients aged ≥ 18 years initiating ABL, TPTD, or DMAB between May 1, 2017, and September 24, 2018 (without receiving the same drug in the previous 12 months), were identified using the OM1 Data Cloud, which contains medical and pharmacy claims from approximately 200 million US patients. The index date was the date of initial prescription or dispensing for ABL, TPTD, or DMAB during the study period.

RESULTS

During the study period, 2666 patients initiated ABL, 9210 TPTD, and 116,718 DMAB. Mean age (standard deviation) was 69.2 (10.6) years for the ABL cohort, 68.6 (11.3) for TPTD, and 72.1 (10.2) for DMAB (P < 0.001; ABL vs DMAB). Proportionally more patients initiating ABL were female (95.2% ABL, 86.9% TPTD, and 91.3% DMAB, P < 0.001 ABL vs TPTD or DMAB). Nearly twice as many patients initiating ABL (19.1%) and TPTD (18.8%) had a previous pathologic/fragility fracture vs DMAB (9.6%; P < 0.001 ABL vs DMAB). Fewer patients initiating ABL (36.3%) or TPTD (39.7%) had Charlson comorbidity index of ≥ 2 vs DMAB (48.4%; P < 0.001 ABL vs DMAB). Before initiating ABL, TPTD, or DMAB, 44.3%, 33.8%, and 33.9% of patients had prior osteoporosis treatment, respectively. Bisphosphonate use was more common before initiating ABL (19.2%) or TPTD (19.6%), than before initiating DMAB (16.6%; P < 0.001 ABL vs DMAB).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients initiating ABL and TPTD differed in sex, age, pathologic fractures, comorbidity index, and prior bisphosphonate use compared with those initiating DMAB.

Abaloparatide: an anabolic treatment to reduce fracture risk in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis

OBJECTIVE

Fractures due to osteoporosis represent a serious burden on patients and healthcare systems. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of the anabolic agent abaloparatide (ABL) for the treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis at high risk for fracture.

METHODS

A literature review was conducted using PubMed to identify articles focused on ABL published prior to February 10, 2020, using the search term "abaloparatide".

RESULTS

ABL, a synthetic analog of human parathyroid hormone-related protein, increased bone mineral density (BMD), improved bone microarchitecture, and increased bone strength in preclinical and clinical studies. The pivotal phase 3 trial ACTIVE and its extension (ACTIVExtend) demonstrated the efficacy of initial treatment with ABL for 18 months followed by sequential treatment with alendronate (ALN) for an additional 24 months to reduce the risk of vertebral, nonvertebral, clinical, and major osteoporotic fractures and to increase BMD in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Discontinuations from ACTIVE were slightly more common in ABL-treated patients due to dizziness, palpitations, nausea, and headache. Post hoc analyses of ACTIVE and ACTIVExtend support the efficacy and safety of ABL in relevant subpopulations including postmenopausal women with various baseline risk factors, women ≥80 years, women with type 2 diabetes mellitus, and women with renal impairment.

CONCLUSIONS

ABL is an effective and well-tolerated treatment for women with postmenopausal osteoporosis at high risk for fracture. Its therapeutic effects are sustained with subsequent ALN therapy.

Osteoporosis drugs for prevention of clinical fracture in white postmenopausal women: a network meta-analysis of survival data

By Bayesian random effects network meta-analysis stratified by prevalent vertebral fracture (PVF), we conclude that different effective drugs should be used to prevent fragility fractures according to postmenopausal women with or without PVF and that there are two drugs (i.e., parathyroid hormone (1-84) and abaloparatide) less tolerated than placebo.

INTRODUCTION

No studies have compared various osteoporosis drugs in postmenopausal women (PMW) either with or without prevalent vertebral fracture (PVF). We aimed to compare them in the two different subgroups.

METHODS

We searched different databases to select relevant studies. We performed Bayesian random effects network meta-analysis to synthesize hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for clinical fracture stratified by PVF and to synthesize risk ratio (RR) for tolerability and vertebral fracture.

RESULTS

We included 33 trials involving 79,144 PMW. In the PVF ≥ 50% subgroup, teriparatide (HR 0.39, 95% CI 0.28-0.57), romosozumab (HR 0.49, 95% CI 0.29-0.75), risedronate (HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.50-0.79), zoledronate (HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.47-0.96), and alendronate (HR 0.69, 95% CI 0.47-0.97) reduced clinical fracture risk. In the other subgroup, abaloparatide (HR 0.56, 95% CI 0.33-0.92), romosozumab (HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.47-0.95), and denosumab (HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.50-0.85) reduced clinical fracture risk. Five drugs reduced vertebral fracture risk in the PVF ≥ 50% subgroup whereas seven did in the other subgroup. All drugs did not increase withdrawal risk except for parathyroid hormone (1-84) (PTH) (RR 1.9, 95% CI 1.4-2.6) and abaloparatide (RR 1.6, 95% CI 1.2-2.3).

CONCLUSION

Different effective drugs should be used to prevent fragility fractures according to PMW with or without PVF, and romosozumab is the only one which can reduce clinical and vertebral fractures in both of the two populations. PTH and abaloparatide are less tolerated than placebo whereas the eight other drugs assessed in the study have the same tolerability as placebo.

Cost-effectiveness of sequential treatment with abaloparatide followed by alendronate vs. alendronate monotherapy in women at increased risk of fracture: A US payer perspective

OBJECTIVES

Emerging evidence supports sequential therapy with anabolic followed by antiresorptive in patients at high-risk of fragility fractures. This study assessed the cost-effectiveness of sequential treatment with abaloparatide (ABL) followed by alendronate (ALN) [(ABL/ALN)] compared to ALN monotherapy and to sequential treatment starting with antiresorptive therapy (ALN/ABL/ALN).

METHODS

A previously validated Markov microsimulation model was used to estimate the cost-effectiveness of sequential ABL/ALN compared to ALN monotherapy and to sequential ALN/ABL/ALN from a lifetime US payer perspective. In line with practice guidelines, patients were assumed to receive ABL for 18 months followed by 5 years of ALN, or ALN monotherapy for 5 years, or a sequence of ALN for 2 years followed by 18 months of ABL and then by 3 years ALN. Evaluation was conducted for patients aged 50-80 years old with a BMD T-score ≤-3.5 and without a history of prior fracture, or with a T-score between -2.5 and -3.5 and a history of ≥ 1 osteoporotic fracture.

RESULTS

Sequential ABL/ALN was cost-effective (threshold of US$150,000 per QALY) vs generic ALN monotherapy in women ≥60 years with a BMD T-score ≤-3.5 and in women with BMD T-score between -2.5 and -3.5 and history of osteoporotic fracture. In all simulated populations, sequential ABL/ALN therapy was dominant (lower costs, more QALYs) compared with sequential ALN/ABL/ALN, resulting from limited effect of ABL in patients previously treated with an antiresorptive agent.

CONCLUSIONS

Sequential ABL/ALN therapy is cost-effective vs ALN monotherapy for US postmenopausal women aged ≥60 years at increased risk of fractures.

Response rates for hip, femoral neck, and lumbar spine bone mineral density in patients treated with abaloparatide followed by alendronate: Results from phase 3 ACTIVExtend

•

A significantly greater proportion of abaloparatide/alendronate patients had BMD increases over 0, 3 and 6 percent versus placebo/alendronate.

•

BMD responses were higher at all anatomic sites and for all thresholds assessed for abaloparatide/alendronate versus placebo/alendronate

•

This study provides further evidence of cumulative benefit from sequential treatment with an anabolic agent followed by an antiresorptive.

Abaloparatide is a selective activator of the parathyroid hormone type 1 receptor signaling pathway that favors the stimulation of bone formation. Here, we report a prospective, exploratory analysis of bone mineral density (BMD) response rates comparing sequential abaloparatide/alendronate vs placebo/alendronate across the ACTIVE and ACTIVExtend studies. BMD was measured at the lumbar spine, total hip, and femoral neck from the beginning of ACTIVE to the end of ACTIVExtend (18 months of abaloparatide or placebo followed by about 1 month for re-consent, followed by 24 months of alendronate treatment for a total of 43 months). Responders were defined as those patients who had improvements in BMD at 3 anatomic sites—the lumbar spine, total hip, and femoral neck. Three response thresholds, >0%, >3%, and >6%, were evaluated. Five hundred fifty-eight patients in the abaloparatide/alendronate group and 581 patients in the placebo/alendronate group from ACTIVExtend were included in the analysis. At Month 43, a significantly greater proportion of those in the abaloparatide/alendronate group compared with the placebo/alendronate group responded with BMD changes from ACTIVE baseline of >0%, >3%, and >6% at all 3 anatomic sites (p < 0.001 for each comparison). At the>3% threshold, 60.7% (307/506) vs 24.0% (121/505) of patients experienced BMD increases at all 3 sites in the abaloparatide/alendronate vs placebo/alendronate groups, respectively (p < 0.001). A significantly greater proportion of the abaloparatide/alendronate group experienced BMD increases of>0%, >3%, and >6% at each individual anatomic site compared with the placebo/alendronate group at 43 months (p < 0.001). Additionally, at each visit in ACTIVExtend, there was a significantly greater proportion of patients in the abaloparatide/alendronate group above the 3% threshold at each anatomic site compared with the placebo/alendronate group. Results are consistent with the significant BMD response with abaloparatide vs placebo observed in ACTIVE and with the continued fracture risk reduction with sequential abaloparatide/alendronate compared with placebo/alendronate treatment observed in ACTIVE through ACTIVExtend.

Abaloparatide exhibits greater osteoanabolic response and higher cAMP stimulation and β-arrestin recruitment than teriparatide

Teriparatide and abaloparatide are parathyroid hormone receptor 1 (PTHR1) analogs with unexplained differential efficacy for the treatment of osteoporosis. Therefore, we compared the effects of abaloparatide and teriparatide on bone structure, turnover, and levels of receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG). Wild-type (WT) female mice were injected daily with vehicle or 20-80 µg/kg/day of teriparatide or abaloparatide for 30 days. Femurs and spines were examined by microcomputed tomography scanning and serum levels of bone turnover markers, RANKL, and OPG, were measured by ELISA. Both analogs similarly increased the distal femoral fractional trabecular bone volume, connectivity, and number, and reduced the structure model index (SMI) at 20-80 µg/kg/day doses. However, only abaloparatide exhibited a significant increase (13%) in trabecular thickness at 20 µg/kg/day dose. Femoral cortical evaluation showed that abaloparatide caused a greater dose-dependent increase in cortical thickness than teriparatide. Both teriparatide and abaloparatide increased lumbar 5 vertebral trabecular connectivity but had no or modest effect on other indices. Biochemical analysis demonstrated that abaloparatide promoted greater elevation of procollagen type 1 intact N-terminal propeptide, a bone formation marker, and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b levels, a bone resorption marker, and lowered the RANKL/OPG ratio. Furthermore, PTHR1 signaling was compared in cells treated with 0-100 nmol/L analog. Interestingly, abaloparatide had a markedly lower EC50 for cAMP formation (2.3-fold) and β-arrestin recruitment (1.6-fold) than teriparatide. Therefore, abaloparatide-improved efficacy can be attributed to enhanced bone formation and cortical structure, reduced RANKL/OPG ratio, and amplified Gs-cAMP and β-arrestin signaling.

Abaloparatide for risk reduction of nonvertebral and vertebral fractures in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis: a network meta-analysis

This network meta-analysis assessed the efficacy of abaloparatide versus other treatment options to reduce the risk of fractures in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. The analysis indicates that abaloparatide reduces the risk of fractures in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis versus placebo and compared with other treatment options.

INTRODUCTION

This network meta-analysis (NMA) assessed the relative efficacy of abaloparatide versus other treatments to reduce the risk of fractures in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO).

METHODS

PubMed®, Embase®, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched for randomized controlled trials published before December 20, 2017, that included women with PMO who were eligible to receive interventions for primary or secondary fracture prevention. The NMA was conducted by fracture site (vertebral [VF], nonvertebral [NVF], and wrist), with the relative risk (RR) of fracture versus placebo the main clinical endpoint. The NMA used fixed-effects and random-effects approaches.

RESULTS

A total of 4978 articles were screened, of which 22 were included in the analysis. Compared with other treatments, abaloparatide demonstrated the greatest treatment effect relative to placebo in the VF network (RR = 0.13; 95% credible interval [CrI] 0.04-0.34), the NVF network (RR = 0.50; 95% CrI 0.28-0.85), and the wrist fracture network (RR = 0.39; CrI 0.15-0.90). Treatment ranking showed that abaloparatide had the highest estimated probability of preventing fractures in each of the networks (79% for VF, 70% for NVF, and 53% for wrist fracture) compared with other treatments. Individual networks demonstrated a good level of agreement with direct trial evidence and direct pair-wise comparisons.

CONCLUSIONS

This NMA indicates that abaloparatide reduces the RR of VF, NVF, and wrist fracture in women with PMO with or without prior fracture versus placebo, compared with other treatment options. Limitations include that adverse events and drug costs were not considered, and that generalizability is limited to the trial populations and endpoints included in the NMA.

Abaloparatide effect on forearm bone mineral density and wrist fracture risk in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis

PURPOSE

Wrist fractures are common, contribute significantly to morbidity in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis, and occur predominantly at the ultradistal radius, a site rich in trabecular bone. This exploratory analysis of the phase 3 ACTIVE study evaluated effects of abaloparatide versus placebo and teriparatide on forearm bone mineral density (BMD) and risk of wrist fracture.

METHODS

Forearm BMD was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry in a subset of 982 women from ACTIVE, evenly distributed across the three treatment groups. Wrist fractures were ascertained in the total cohort (N = 2463).

RESULTS

After 18 months, ultradistal radius BMD changes from baseline were 2.25 percentage points greater for abaloparatide compared with placebo (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.38, 3.12, p < 0.001) and 1.54 percentage points greater for abaloparatide compared with teriparatide (95% CI 0.64, 2.45, p < 0.001). At 18 months, 1/3 radius BMD losses (versus baseline) were similar for abaloparatide compared with placebo (-0.42; 95% CI -1.03, 0.20; p = 0.19) but losses with teriparatide exceeded those of placebo (-1.66%; 95% CI -2.27, -1.06; p < 0.001). The decline with abaloparatide was less than that seen with teriparatide (group difference 1.22%; 95% CI 0.57, 1.87; p < 0.001). The radius BMD findings, at both ultradistal and 1/3 sites, are consistent with the numerically lower incidence of wrist fractures observed in women treated with abaloparatide compared with teriparatide (HR = 0.43; 95% CI 0.18, 1.03; p = 0.052) and placebo (HR = 0.49, 95% CI 0.20, 1.19, p = 0.11).

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with teriparatide, abaloparatide increased BMD at the ultradistal radius (primarily trabecular bone) and decreased BMD to a lesser extent at the 1/3 radius (primarily cortical bone), likely contributing to the numerically lower wrist fracture incidence observed with abaloparatide.

Bone mineral density response rates are greater in patients treated with abaloparatide compared with those treated with placebo or teriparatide: Results from the ACTIVE phase 3 trial

BACKGROUND

Abaloparatide is a 34-amino acid peptide that selectively binds to the RG conformation of the parathyroid hormone receptor type 1. It was developed for the treatment of women with postmenopausal osteoporosis at high risk of fracture. In ACTIVE, an 18-month phase 3 study (NCT01343004), abaloparatide increased bone mineral density (BMD), decreased the risk of vertebral and nonvertebral fractures compared with placebo, and decreased the risk of major osteoporotic fractures compared with placebo and teriparatide. Here, we report a prospective, exploratory BMD responder analysis from ACTIVE.

METHODS

Proportions of patients experiencing BMD gains from baseline of >0%, >3%, and >6% at the total hip, femoral neck, and lumbar spine at 6, 12, and 18 months of treatment were compared among the placebo, abaloparatide, and teriparatide groups in ACTIVE. Responders were defined prospectively as patients experiencing BMD gains at all 3 anatomic sites.

RESULTS

At months 6, 12, and 18, there were significantly more >3% BMD responders in the abaloparatide group compared with placebo and teriparatide: month 6, 19.1% vs 0.9% for placebo and 6.5% for teriparatide; month 12, 33.2% vs 1.5% and 19.8%; month 18, 44.5% vs 1.9% and 32.0% (P < 0.001 for all comparisons of abaloparatide to placebo and to teriparatide). Findings were similar for the >0% and >6% responder thresholds.

CONCLUSIONS

In postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, a significantly greater proportion of patients treated with abaloparatide experienced increases in BMD than did those treated with placebo or teriparatide.

Bone turnover markers to explain changes in lumbar spine BMD with abaloparatide and teriparatide: results from ACTIVE

Early PINP changes correlate with 18-month lumbar spine BMD changes and the correlation was greater with abaloparatide versus teriparatide. The uncoupling index was similar between the two agents.

INTRODUCTION

We evaluated the relationship between early PINP changes and subsequent changes in spine BMD following abaloparatide and teriparatide treatments. We also explored the use of an "uncoupling index" (UI), the balance between bone formation and bone resorption, which we hypothesised would be similar in response to these treatment groups.

METHODS

Blood samples were taken for measurement of bone turnover markers (BTMs) s-PINP and s-CTX at baseline, 1, 3, 6, 12, and 18 months from 189 abaloparatide patients and 227 teriparatide patients randomly selected from all participants who completed the study. BMD was measured by DXA at baseline, 6, 12, and 18 months. Correlations were calculated between log ratio of BTMs from baseline to 3 months and percent change from baseline in BMD at 18 months. A UI was calculated using log transformation and subtraction of the standard deviate for s-CTX from the standard deviate for s-PINP for each patient.

RESULTS

Early BTM changes were associated with subsequent BMD changes for both treatments. Pearson correlations for the log ratio of PINP over baseline at 3 months and BMD percent change from baseline at 18 months were larger (P < 0.0001) with abaloparatide (r = 0.561) than teriparatide (r = 0.198). The mean UI at 1 month was greater for abaloparatide versus teriparatide (1.743 and 1.493, respectively; P = 0.03) but was similar at 3 months or later time points.

CONCLUSIONS

Early s-PINP changes correlate with percentage change in lumbar spine BMD 18 months after treatment with both abaloparatide and teriparatide, though the correlation with abaloparatide was greater. The UI was similar between abaloparatide and teriparatide suggesting that the balance between formation and resorption markers was similar.

Effect of the PTHrP(1-34) analog abaloparatide on inducing chondrogenesis involves inhibition of intracellular reactive oxygen species production

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease characterized by a progressive loss of articular cartilage. Mesenchymal stem cells transplanted to damaged tissues are promising for OA cartilage repair. However, these cells are poor survival after transplantation and acquire hypertrophic properties during chondrogenic induction. Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) promotes chondrogenesis and suppresses chondrocyte hypertrophic differentiation. Additionally, PTHrP was reported to have anti-oxidant effects. The synthetic PTHrP(1-34) analog abaloparatide (ABL) is a newly approved drug for osteoporosis therapy. It is unknown whether ABL stimulates chondrogenesis and affects intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. By using mouse embryonic limb bud mesenchymal stem cells in micromass culture as an in vitro model of chondrogenic differentiation, we found that mesenchymal stem cells in micromass cultures spontaneously produced ROS, and N-acetyl-l-cysteine, a potent antioxidant, enhanced chondrogenesis. The effect of ABL on stimulation of chondrogenesis is involved in its inhibition of intracellular ROS generation. These novel findings support the use of ABL for the damaged cartilage regeneration.

Effect of abaloparatide on vertebral, nonvertebral, major osteoporotic, and clinical fractures in a subset of postmenopausal women at increased risk of fracture by FRAX probability

We evaluated the efficacy of abaloparatide in women who were at increased risk for fracture, based on CHMP recommended risk thresholds, at the Abaloparatide Comparator Trial In Vertebral Endpoints (ACTIVE) study baseline. Among patients at high risk based on FRAX probabilities, 18 months of abaloparatide significantly decreased risk for all fracture endpoints compared with placebo.

PURPOSE

Abaloparatide, a novel anabolic agent for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis, significantly reduced the risk of vertebral and nonvertebral fractures in the ACTIVE study compared with placebo. In this post hoc analysis, we evaluated abaloparatide's efficacy in a subset of women in the study at an increased risk of fracture at baseline, based on the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommended risk thresholds for inclusion in clinical trials.

METHODS

Women with a baseline 10-year risk of major osteoporotic fracture ≥ 10% or hip fracture ≥ 5%, assessed using the FRAX® tool (including femoral neck bone mineral density), were included in the analysis. The proportion with one or more events of new morphometric vertebral fractures was calculated. Event rates for nonvertebral, major osteoporotic, and all clinical fractures were estimated using Kaplan-Meier analysis.

RESULTS

Following 18 months of treatment, abaloparatide significantly reduced incident vertebral fractures compared with placebo (relative risk reduction = 91%; 0.5% versus 5.6%; p < 0.001). Abaloparatide treatment was also associated with significantly fewer nonvertebral, major osteoporotic, and clinical fractures compared with placebo: 2.7% versus 5.8%, p = 0.036; 1.3% versus 6.0%, p < 0.001; and 3.5% versus 8.2%, p = 0.006, respectively. The effect of abaloparatide on major osteoporotic fractures (78% reduction) was significantly greater than that seen with teriparatide (23% reduction, p = 0.007).

CONCLUSION

In a subset of postmenopausal women at increased risk of fracture as judged by CHMP guidance, abaloparatide significantly decreased the risk of all fracture endpoints compared with placebo.

New therapeutic targets for osteoporosis

New anti-osteoporotic agents have been developed, potentially enriching the therapeutic armamentarium. Currently available osteoanabolic therapies are the parathyroid hormone (PTH) and PTH-related peptide (PTHrP) synthetic analogues, teriparatide and abaloparatide. Daily administration at doses of 20 and 80 μg, respectively, in contrast to continuous PTH secretion, leads to increased bone formation and reduces vertebral and non-vertebral fracture risk. Teriparatide is more effective than bisphosphonates (alendronate, risedronate) in increasing bone mineral density (BMD), improving bone architecture and reducing fracture risk. Abaloparatide leads to greater BMD gain, has greater anti-fracture efficacy regarding major osteoporotic fractures (upper arm, wrist, hip or clinical spine) compared with teriparatide (without a difference in morphometric vertebral and non-vertebral fractures), and has a lower risk of hypercalcaemia. Romosozumab, a sclerostin inhibitor, both induces bone formation and suppresses bone resorption. Administered at monthly subcutaneous doses of 210 mg, it reduces vertebral, non-vertebral and hip fracture risk compared with either placebo or alendronate. However, concerns have arisen about increased cardiovascular risk, which has suspended its approval by the FDA. Anabolic therapy should always be followed by administration of an anti-resorptive agent, such as bisphosphonates or denosumab, which preserves and may further increase BMD gain. Denosumab provides the greatest benefit for BMD when administered sequentially after its combination with teriparatide for 24 months and constitutes a reasonable option for patients at high risk of fracture. However, longitudinal data are needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of these therapeutic interventions.

Abaloparatide is an Effective Treatment Option for Postmenopausal Osteoporosis: Review of the Number Needed to Treat Compared with Teriparatide

Abaloparatide (ABL) is a 34-amino acid peptide designed to be a selective activator of the parathyroid hormone receptor type 1 signaling pathway. In the Abaloparatide Comparator Trial In Vertebral Endpoints (ACTIVE), subcutaneous ABL reduced the risk of new vertebral, nonvertebral, clinical, and major osteoporotic fracture compared with placebo and of major osteoporotic fracture compared with teriparatide. To further evaluate the effectiveness of ABL, we calculated the number needed to treat (NNT) to prevent one fracture using ACTIVE data. To estimate the potential effectiveness of ABL in populations at higher fracture risk than in ACTIVE, we calculated NNT for vertebral fracture using reference populations from historical placebo-controlled trials, assuming an 86% relative risk reduction in vertebral fracture with ABL treatment as observed in ACTIVE. NNT was calculated as the reciprocal of the absolute risk reduction in ACTIVE. The projected NNT for ABL in other populations was calculated based on incidence rate (IR) for vertebral fractures in the placebo arms of the FREEDOM (placebo IR 7.2%), FIT-1 (placebo IR 15.0%), and FIT-2 (placebo IR 3.8%) trials. NNT for ABL in ACTIVE was 28 for vertebral, 55 for nonvertebral, 37 for clinical, and 34 for major osteoporotic fracture. NNT for these fracture types for teriparatide in ACTIVE were 30, 92, 59, and 75, respectively. Using placebo IRs from FREEDOM, FIT-1, and FIT-2, projected NNTs for vertebral fracture with ABL were 17, 8, and 31. These data are useful for further evaluating ABL for the treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

Abaloparatide Exerts Bone Anabolic Effects with Less Stimulation of Bone Resorption-Related Factors: A Comparison with Teriparatide

Abaloparatide (ABL) is a novel synthetic peptide analog of parathyroid hormone-related protein. In previous reports, intermittent ABL administration showed robust bone mineral density (BMD) increase and reduced the incidence of fractures in patients with osteoporosis, while its calcemic effect was reduced, as compared with teriparatide (TPTD), a parathyroid hormone N-terminal fragment. The present study aimed to elucidate the effects of ABL on bone anabolism and bone turnover as compared with TPTD. In ovariectomized (OVX) rats, ABL increased the bone strength and BMD of lumbar spine by intermittent administration similar to TPTD. Both ABL and TPTD increased the bone formation marker serum P1NP with little effect on the bone resorption maker urine DPD/Cr, suggesting anabolic effects on bone. In human osteoblastic cells, both peptides increased the expression of bone resorption-related factors such as RANKL/OPG and M-CSF, and the effects of ABL were significantly attenuated as compared with those of TPTD under transient 6-h treatment, although no significant differences were found under continuous treatment. In contrast, ABL and TPTD similarly promoted the expression of bone formation-related factors, IGF-1 and osteocalcin. In addition, there were no significant differences in the effects on WNT signaling inhibitors such as sclerostin and dickkopf-related protein 1 (DKK1) between the two peptides. These results demonstrate that ABL exerts bone anabolic effects in OVX rats. It is also indicated that ABL stimulates the expression of RANKL/OPG and M-CSF less than TPTD, while showing similar effects on bone formation-related factors and WNT signaling inhibitors in vitro. The profile of ABL indicates that it would be a suitable bone anabolic agent for osteoporosis.

Treatment of Osteoporosis: Unmet Needs and Emerging Solutions

Efficient therapies are available for the treatment of osteoporosis, however, there are still unmet needs. Anti-resorptive therapies only increase bone mineral density to a certain extent and reduce the risk of non-vertebral fractures by 20%, only one anabolic option is available in most parts of the world-the effect of which levels off over time, and the evidence for combination therapy targeting both resorption and formation is limited. In addition, identification and treatment of patients with high and imminent fracture risk following a recent fracture and long-term adherence to treatment are 2 other very prominent challenges to the management of osteoporosis. The current review will focus on emerging osteoporosis treatments and optimized use of the existing treatments that may help overcome the currently unmet needs in the management of osteoporosis.

Abaloparatide for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis

Abaloparatide is a synthetic 34-amino acid peptide analogue of the 1-34 portion of the human parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP). It has been approved in the U.S. for the treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis at a high risk for fracture. Abaloparatide is an anabolic agent and it seems to have a potent anabolic activity with reduced effects on bone resorption. It reduces the risk of vertebral and nonvertebral fractures, major osteoporotic fractures and clinical fractures, with a significant improvement in bone mineral density at femoral neck, total hip and lumbar spine. In this article we summarize the development of the abaloparatide molecule and preclinical and clinical studies published so far. Results from clinical trials indicate that abaloparatide may become an important option for the anabolic treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Geography of Fracture Incidence in Postmenopausal Women with Osteoporosis Treated with Abaloparatide

Geographic heterogeneity has been observed in fracture risk and efficacy of therapeutic intervention in postmenopausal osteoporosis. The objectives of these analyses were to assess across geographic and ethnic subgroups the heterogeneity of fracture incidence and baseline risk, and consistency of effect of abaloparatide-SC vs placebo on fracture risk reduction in the 18-month, phase 3, multinational, ACTIVE randomized controlled trial. Prespecified exploratory analyses of geographic subgroups (North America, South America, Europe, Asia) and post hoc analyses of ethnic subgroups (Hispanic or Latino, other) of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis enrolled in the abaloparatide-SC and placebo cohorts (n = 1645) were performed. Country-specific FRAX models were used to calculate 10-year absolute fracture risks. Relative risk reductions for vertebral fractures and hazard ratios for non-vertebral, clinical, and major osteoporotic fractures were calculated. Forest plots were constructed to assess treatment-by-subgroup interactions for each geographic region and ethnicity. Baseline prevalence of vertebral fractures was similar across geographies; baseline prevalence of non-vertebral fractures was more variable. Ten-year major osteoporosis fracture and hip fracture risks were variable across and within regions. The effects of abaloparatide-SC on reducing the risk of vertebral, non-vertebral, clinical, and major osteoporotic fractures were similar across regions, and for Hispanic or Latino vs other ethnicities. A limitation was the limited power to detect interactions with few events. In conclusion, despite geographic variability in fracture incidence and risk at baseline, no differences were detected in the effects of abaloparatide-SC in reducing vertebral, non-vertebral, clinical, and major osteoporotic fracture risk across assessed geographic regions and ethnicities.

Abaloparatide, a novel PTH receptor agonist, increased bone mass and strength in ovariectomized cynomolgus monkeys by increasing bone formation without increasing bone resorption

Abaloparatide, a novel PTH1 receptor agonist, increased bone formation in osteopenic ovariectomized cynomolgus monkeys while increasing cortical and trabecular bone mass. Abaloparatide increased bone strength and maintained or enhanced bone mass-strength relationships, indicating preserved or improved bone quality.

INTRODUCTION

Abaloparatide is a selective PTH1R activator that is approved for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. The effects of 16 months of abaloparatide administration on bone formation, resorption, density, and strength were assessed in adult ovariectomized (OVX) cynomolgus monkeys (cynos).

METHODS

Sixty-five 9-18-year-old female cynos underwent OVX surgery, and 15 similar cynos underwent sham surgery. After a 9-month period without treatments, OVX cynos were allocated to four groups that received 16 months of daily s.c. injections with either vehicle (n = 17) or abaloparatide (0.2, 1, or 5 μg/kg/day; n = 16/dose level), while Sham controls received s.c. vehicle (n = 15). Bone densitometry (DXA, pQCT, micro-CT), qualitative bone histology, serum calcium, bone turnover markers, bone histomorphometry, and bone strength were among the key measures assessed.

RESULTS

At the end of the 9-month post-surgical bone depletion period, just prior to the treatment phase, the OVX groups exhibited increased bone turnover markers and decreased bone mass compared with sham controls. Abaloparatide administration to OVX cynos led to increased bone formation parameters, including serum P1NP and endocortical bone formation rate. Abaloparatide administration did not influence serum calcium levels, bone resorption markers, cortical porosity, or eroded surfaces. Abaloparatide increased bone mass at the whole body, lumbar spine, tibial diaphysis, femoral neck, and femoral trochanter. Abaloparatide administration was associated with greater lumbar vertebral strength, and had no adverse effects on bone mass-strength relationships for the vertebrae, femoral neck, femoral diaphysis, or humeral cortical beams.

CONCLUSIONS

Abaloparatide administration was associated with increases in bone formation, bone mass and bone strength, and with maintenance of bone quality in OVX cynos, without increases in serum calcium or bone resorption parameters.

New anabolic therapies for osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is characterized by low bone mass and qualitative structural abnormalities of bone tissue, leading to increased bone fragility that results in fractures. Pharmacological therapy is aimed at decreasing the risk of fracture, mainly correcting the imbalance between bone resorption and formation at the level of bone remodeling units. Anabolic therapy has the capability to increase bone mass to a greater extent than traditional antiresorptive agents. The only currently available drug licensed is parathyroid hormone 1-34 (teriparatide); new drugs are on the horizon, targeting the stimulation of bone formation, and therefore improving bone mass, structure and ultimately skeletal strength. These are represented by abaloparatide (a 34-amino acid peptide which incorporates critical N-terminal residues, shared by parathyroid hormone and parathyroid hormone-related protein, followed by sequences unique to the latter protein) and romosozumab (an antibody to sclerostin). In the future, the availability of new anabolic treatment will allow a more extensive utilization of additive and sequential approach, with the goal of both prolonging the period of treatment and, more importantly, avoiding the side effects consequent to long-term use of traditional drugs.

Comparing the incidence of bone tumors in rats chronically exposed to the selective PTH type 1 receptor agonist abaloparatide or PTH(1-34)

Prolonged treatment with human parathyroid hormone (hPTH) in rats results in development of bone tumors, though this finding has not been supported by clinical experience. The PTH type 1 receptor agonist abaloparatide, selected for its bone anabolic activity, is under clinical development to treat postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. To determine the carcinogenic potential of abaloparatide, Fischer (F344) rats were administered SC daily abaloparatide at doses of 0, 10, 25, and 50 μg/kg or 30 μg/kg hPTH(1-34) as a positive control for up to 2 years. Robust increases in bone density were achieved at all abaloparatide doses and with hPTH(1-34). Comprehensive histopathological analysis reflected a comparable continuum of proliferative changes in bone, mostly osteosarcoma, in both abaloparatide and hPTH(1-34) treated rats. Comparing the effects of abaloparatide and hPTH(1-34) at the 25 and 30 μg/kg respective doses, representing similar exposure multiples to the human therapeutic doses, revealed similar osteosarcoma-associated mortality, tumor incidence, age at first occurrence, and metastatic potential. There were no increases in the incidence of non-bone tumors with abaloparatide compared to vehicle. Thus, near life-long treatment with abaloparatide in rats resulted in dose and time dependent formation of osteosarcomas, with a comparable response to hPTH(1-34) at similar exposure.

Effects of abaloparatide-SC (BA058) on bone histology and histomorphometry: The ACTIVE phase 3 trial

There are a number of effective treatments for osteoporosis but most are in the antiresorptive class of compounds. Abaloparatide-SC is a new osteoanabolic agent, which increased bone mineral density and lowered the risk of osteoporosis-related fractures in the phase 3 ACTIVE trial. The objective of this report is to describe the effects of abaloparatide-SC 80μg on bone histology and histomorphometry in iliac crest bone biopsies from this trial in which participants were randomized to receive blinded daily subcutaneous injections of placebo or abaloparatide-SC 80μg/d or open-label teriparatide 20μg/d for 18months. Iliac crest bone biopsies were obtained between 12 and 18months. Qualitative histological analysis of biopsies from abaloparatide-SC-treated patients revealed normal bone microarchitecture without evidence of adverse effects on mineralization or on the formation of normal lamellar bone. There were no bone marrow abnormalities, marrow fibrosis nor was there presence of excess osteoid or woven bone. There were few significant differences among the three treatment groups in a standard panel of static and dynamic histomorphometric indices. The mineral apposition rate was higher in the teriparatide-treated group than in the placebo-treated group. The eroded surface was lower in the abaloparatide-SC-treated group than in the placebo-treated group. Cortical porosity was higher in both the abaloparatide-SC- and the teriparatide-treated groups than in the placebo-treated group. We conclude that histological and histomorphometric analysis of iliac crest bone biopsies from subjects who were treated for up to 18months with abaloparatide-SC showed no evidence of concern for bone safety.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT01343004.

Parathyroid Hormone and Parathyroid Hormone-Related Protein Analogs in Osteoporosis Therapy

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The purpose is to review the efficacy and optimal use of parathyroid hormone and parathyroid hormone-related protein analogs in osteoporosis treatment.

RECENT FINDINGS

The parathyroid hormone analog teriparatide, a potent stimulator of bone remodeling, increases hip and spine bone mineral density and reduces the risk of vertebral and non-vertebral fractures in postmenopausal osteoporotic women. The parathyroid hormone-related protein analog, abaloparatide, also reduces fracture incidence but has pharmacological effects that differ from teriparatide, particularly in cortical bone. These analogs provide maximal benefit when their use is followed by a potent antiresorptive medication. Moreover, studies have shown that the combination of teriparatide and the RANK-ligand inhibitor, denosumab, increase bone density and estimated strength more than monotherapy and more than any currently available regimen. Parathyroid hormone and parathyroid hormone-related protein analogs, whether as monotherapy, in combination with antiresorptive agents or in sequence with antiresorptive agents, will likely play an expanding role in osteoporosis management.