I don't want to overhype this, as it seems long-term use elevates risks of some cancers, but it might be used to reverse osteonecrosis in the patients presenting that malady, after years of uninterrupted Fosamax® use -- per Reuters:
. . . .The research, reported at the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research in Toronto, suggests that the drug may spur growth in a damaged jaw, the researchers said.
Forteo™, known generically as teriparatide, cuts in half the risk of bone fractures in patients with thinning bones by stimulating the growth of new bone. But it is seldom given for more than two years out of fear that long-term exposure might lead to osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer.
The first of two reports, also published in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed people whose severe periodontitis was damaging the tissue around the teeth developed nearly 10 times more bone with Forteo compared to those who received daily placebo injections. . . .
The other study, reported in a letter in the Journal, involved just one patient, an 88-year-old women whose jaw began to erode after a tooth was removed, a condition known as osteonecrosis. Conventional treatment did not help. . . .Doctors said the problem may have been her 10-year use of alendronate, commonly known as the Merck osteoporosis drug Fosamax, following a hip fracture. While Forteo spurs the growth of new bone, Fosamax slows the normal absorption of exiting bone. . . .
After eight weeks of Forteo injections, the woman's pain disappeared and CT scans showed that bone cells had rebuilt that portion of the jaw. . . .
We'll keep you posted.
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