Early changes in biochemical markers of bone formation predict BMD response to teriparatide in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis

What Was Tested

Researchers studied Teriparatide in the context of osteoporosis and bone density in this randomized controlled trial publication.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 1637 women were involved.

PubMed indexes the participants as adults, middle-aged adults, older adults and people over 80, women only.

The researchers also assessed serum concentrations of another bone formation marker, the amino-terminal extension peptide of procollagen type 1 (PINP), in a subset of 771 women at baseline and 3 months.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized and placebo-controlled study.

The women were allocated by chance, so the Teriparatide group and the comparison group should start out alike.

Some women received a placebo instead of Teriparatide, giving a reference point.

Serum concentrations of two bone formation markers (bone-specific alkaline phosphatase [bone ALP] and the carboxy-terminal extension peptide of procollagen type 1 [PICP]) and urinary concentrations of two bone resorption markers (free deoxypyridinoline [DPD] and N-terminal telopeptide [NTX]) were assessed in a trial population subset (n = 520) at baseline and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months.

Lumbar spine (LS) BMD was measured by DXA at baseline and 18 months.

Femoral neck BMD was measured at baseline and 12 months.

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including Alkaline Phosphatase, Amino Acids, Bone Density, Bone Development, Bone Resorption, Bone and Bones and Cohort Studies.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized and placebo-controlled study of Teriparatide in 1637 women in people with osteoporosis and bone density.

With several hundred people or more, it is a fairly large study for this kind of research.

Its findings take up roughly 5 sentences of the abstract and are left out here on purpose; the source paper is the place to read them.

The publication is from 2005 (Journal of bone and mineral research : the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research), a journal based in England.

More context: the Teriparatide compound page, Osteoporosis and bone density research.