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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A new osteoporosis drug may cost you. New research finds teriparatide (brand name Forteo) is not cost-effective compared to alendronate (brand name Fosamax), the most commonly prescribed osteoporosis medication.
The study, from Stanford University School of Medicine in California, shows the average wholesale price of alendronate is about $900 per year, while teriparatide is $6,700 --nearly eight-times as much.
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"We're not saying you shouldn't use this new drug at all, but, given that we have limited health-care resources, we need to consider whether we as a society are prepared to pay the additional cost of the drug, given the effectiveness of existing therapies," says lead study author Hau Liu, M.D., M.P.H., postdoctoral fellow at Stanford's Center for Health Policy/Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research.
The Food and Drug Administration approved teriparatide in 2002. It prevents fractures by stimulating new bone growth rather than just halting bone loss as most therapies do. Teriparatide is given through daily injections, while patients on alendronate take a pill once a week.
Researchers say their findings suggest teriparatide should only be given to patients at highest-risk and to those who do not tolerate standard treatment.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, 2006;166:1209-1217
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