The Parathyroid Hormone: An Unexpected Bone Builder for Treating Osteoporosis (Medical Intelligence Unit)

As our population ages, many kinds of incapacitating and expensive breakdowns of the body machine are now emerging in vast numbers and are being found to be very difficult to repair. Among these are the fragile and spontaneouly breaking bones of osteoporosis. So far researchers have been very successful in finding drugs to slow or even stop further bone loss, but until very recently there seemed to be no drug that could replace already lost bone or at least build on, and substantially strengthen, the remaining bone. Actually, such a bone-building or anabolic drug was found nearly 70 years ago, but for various good and not-so-good reasons it was neglected for the next 65 years. This potent bone builder is the parathyroid hormone and the authors will tell the story of its rise from obscurity to being one of the most pormising, yet surprising, therapeutics for osteopoorosis.