2 year data from a Phase IIB study of odanacatib (formerly MK-0822), an investigational, selective cathepsin-K inhibitor in development for the treatment of osteoporosis by Merck & Co., Inc., demonstrated dose-dependent increases in bone mineral density (BMD) at the total hip, lumbar spine and femoral neck fracture sites and decreased indices of bone resorption compared to placebo in postmenopausal women with low BMD.
The results were reported at the 30th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).
“Significant BMD increases were seen in the second year of treatment with odanacatib and these 24-month results confirm the positive increases seen at earlier timepoints,” said Dr. Michael McClung, study investigator and director of the Oregon Osteoporosis Center in Portland, Oregon. “These data reinforce the potential of odanacatib as a novel treatment option for osteoporosis.”
Odanacatib selectively inhibits the cathepsin K enzyme believed to play a central role in osteoclastic bone resorption, particularly in the degradation of the protein component of bone. Inhibition of cathepsin K is a novel approach to the treatment of osteoporosis that differs from those of currently approved treatments.
“Bone mineral density” or BMD is the amount of mineralized bone tissue in a certain volume of bone and is one non-invasive measure used to help determine a patient’s fracture risk.
Source: Merck & Co., Inc., USA