The role and efficacy of denosumab in the treatment of osteoporosis: an update

Abstract

Introduction: Bone strength determinants such as bone mineral density and bone quality parameters are determined by life-long remodeling of skeletal tissue. Denosumab is a fully human mAb receptor activator of NF-κB ligand, which selectively inhibits osteoclastogenesis, the end product of a cascade interaction among numerous systemic and local factors and osteoblasts. It has been approved for clinical use by the FDA in the US and by the European Medicines Agency in Europe since June 2010 (trade name Prolia^™, Amgen, Thousand Oaks, CA, USA).

Areas covered: This review establishes the concerns and provides insights in issues concerning the cost-effectiveness and safety profile of this new pharmaceutical agent. There is an effort to clarify the special characteristics and the anti-catabolic role of denosumab in the bone tissue homeostasis and more specifically its potential clinical applications and clinical results in the field of postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Expert opinion: Administrated as a subcutaneous injection every 6 months, denosumab has been shown to decrease bone turnover and increase bone mineral density in postmenopausal women with low bone mass or osteoporosis and reduce vertebral, hip and nonvertebral fracture risk in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. The rapid, sustained and reversible effect in suppressing osteoclastic bone resorption, the return of responsiveness on rechallenge, its good tolerability and ease of administration are features that distinguish it from other antiresorptive therapies.

Keywords::

• cost-effectiveness
• denosumab
• postmenopausal osteoporosis
• RANK–RANKL
• treatment

Acknowledgement

I Charopoulos would like to acknowledge the support of the Hellenic Society for the Study of Bone Metabolism (HSSBM).

Notes

This box summarizes key points contained in the article.