(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A new osteoporosis drug may cost you. New research
finds teriparatide (brand name Forteo) is not cost-effective compared to
alendronate (brand name Fosamax), the most commonly prescribed osteoporosis
medication.
The study, from Stanford University School of Medicine in California, shows the
average wholesale price of alendronate is about $900 per year, while
teriparatide is $6,700 --nearly eight-times as much.
"We're not saying you shouldn't use this new drug at all, but, given that we
have limited health-care resources, we need to consider whether we as a society
are prepared to pay the additional cost of the drug, given the effectiveness of
existing therapies," says lead study author Hau Liu, M.D., M.P.H., postdoctoral
fellow at Stanford's Center for Health Policy/Center for Primary Care and
Outcomes Research.
The Food and Drug Administration approved teriparatide in 2002. It prevents
fractures by stimulating new bone growth rather than just halting bone loss as
most therapies do. Teriparatide is given through daily injections, while
patients on alendronate take a pill once a week.
Researchers say their findings suggest teriparatide should only be given to
patients at highest-risk and to those who do not tolerate standard treatment.
SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, 2006;166:1209-1217
