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Once-a-month Treatment for Postmenopausal Osteoporosis Approved in CanadaBy Health Canada - Jun 2, 2009 8:06:03 AM Health Canada has approved Actonel(R) (risedronate sodium tablets) 150 mg, Canada's first and only once-a-month dosing option in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Canadian patients at high risk of osteoporotic fracture now have the convenience of taking one tablet on the same day each month.
Health Canada approves Canada's first and only once-a-month treatment for postmenopausal osteoporosis Health Canada has approved Actonel(R) (risedronate sodium tablets) 150 mg, Canada's first and only once-a-month dosing option in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Canadian patients at high risk of osteoporotic fracture now have the convenience of taking one tablet on the same day each month. "Many of my osteoporosis patients have asked me about the availability of a once-a-month dosing option," said Dr. David Hanley, Medical Director of the Osteoporosis Centre, Calgary Health Region. "For those women who lead active lives, and who want a simple and convenient dosing regimen, Actonel 150 mg is an ideal option." This new option builds upon the proven vertebral and nonvertebral fracture protection of Actonel for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis, with an overall safety and tolerability profile that is similar to Actonel 5 mg daily. Actonel has been shown to reduce the risk of vertebral(1),(2) and nonvertebral fractures,(2) including those at the hip,(3) and has been shown to reduce the risk of fractures as early as six months.(4),(5),(6) No other bisphosphonate approved for the treatment of osteoporosis has been shown in clinical trials to reduce the risk of fractures earlier than 12 months.(1-6) "I'm very excited about the new once-a-month option because it will make my life simpler," said osteoporosis patient Anne Wolf. "I have made a commitment to take charge of my osteoporosis and this will be a good fit with my lifestyle." Osteoporosis affects almost two million Canadians. "Treating osteoporosis and the related fractures costs our healthcare system $1.9 billion every year, not to mention the impact it can have on patients and their families," said Julie Foley, President and CEO, Osteoporosis Canada. "The approval of a new once-a-month dosing regimen will be welcome news for many women living with osteoporosis. It is vital that a range of treatment and dosing options are available so patients can discuss with their physician the option that best suits them." Research(7) has shown that many osteoporosis patients would prefer monthly oral dosing regimens over other dosing options. The new Actonel 150 mg may be an attractive option for physicians looking for fracture protection in a therapy that also provides patients with the convenience of a once-a-month dosing regimen. In addition to Actonel 150 mg Once-a-Month, Actonel is available in other dosing options (such as 5 mg daily, 35 mg Once-a-Week and 75 mg two consecutive days a month), allowing physicians to help patients choose the option that best meets their unique needs and lifestyle. "Patients and health-care providers are at the heart of everything we do," said Andy McClenaghan, Country Manager, P&G Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. "As a leader in osteoporosis, we are pleased to provide Canadian women with this once-a-month option." About Osteoporosis Osteoporosis is a skeletal disorder characterized by compromised bone strength predisposing a person to an increased risk of fracture. Bone strength reflects the integration of two main features; bone density and bone quality.(8) Osteoporosis Canada reports almost two million Canadians suffer from osteoporosis. It affects one in four women and at least one in eight men over the age of 50.(9) Osteoporosis has important public health and clinical consequences because it leads to fractures that commonly occur at the spine, wrist or hip. Fractures can result in increased pain, disability, and mortality. A 50-year-old woman has a 40 per cent chance of developing hip, vertebra or wrist fractures during her lifetime.(10) The lifetime risk of hip fracture is greater (one in six) than the one in nine lifetime risk of developingbreast cancer.(11) Patients are at highest risk for subsequent fracture in the first few months following a vertebral fracture.(12) One in four women who have a new vertebral fracture will fracture again within one year.(13) About Actonel Actonel (risedronate sodium) is indicated for the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women (PMO), for the treatment of osteoporosis in men to improve bone mineral density, for Paget's disease, and for the treatment and prevention of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIO) in men and women. In postmarketing reporting, osteonecrosis of the jaw has been reported in patients treated with bisphosphonates. Clinical judgement based on individual risk assessment should guide the management of patients undergoing dental procedures. Musculoskeletal pain, rarely severe, has been reported as a common adverse event for all Actonel indications. In PMO and GIO studies the most commonly reported adverse reactions were abdominal pain, dyspepsia and nausea. In patients with Paget's disease, diarrhea and headache were also commonly reported.(14) Please refer to Product Monograph(14) for full dosing instructions, contraindications, warnings and precautions. The approval of Actonel 150 mg once-a-month is based on an active-controlled, double-blind clinical trial of 1,292 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis aged 50 years or older with a lumbar spine bone mineraldensity (LS BMD) T-score (less than) -2.5 OR a LS BMD T-score (less than) -2.0 and at least one prevalent vertebral fracture. In the trial, increases in bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine, total hip, and hip trochanter in patients treated with Actonel 150 mg on the same calendar day each month, were similar to those in patients treated with Actonel 5 mg daily at both time points measured (six and 12 months). Both treatments were generally well tolerated with adverse events between the two groups being similar.(14) About Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) Three billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers(R), Tide(R), Always(R),Pantene(R), Mach3(R), Bounty(R), Pringles(R), Swiffer(R), Folgers(R), Charmin(R), Downy(R), Iams(R), Crest(R), Oral-B(R), Actonel(R), Duracell(R), Olay(R), Clairol Nice 'n Easy(R), Herbal Essences(R), Head & Shoulders(R), Gillette(R), and Braun. The P&G community consists of almost 140,000 employees working in over 80 countries worldwide. P&G is the leading consumer products company in Canada with over $2.7 billion in annual sales. P&G Pharmaceuticals is a division of P&G Health Care with products such as Actonel(R), Didrocal(R), Asacol(R), and MacroBID(R). References: (1) Harris ST, Watts NB, Genant HK et al. Effects of risedronate treatment on vertebral and nonvertebral fractures in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. JAMA 1999;282(14):1344-52.
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