Eli Lilly investigational drug increases bone density in postmenopausal women

INDIANAPOLIS Data from a phase 3 study of an investigational drug from Eli Lilly & Co. shows that the drug significantly increased bone mineral density in postmenopausal women, Lilly announced Wednesday.

The data, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, showed that 20 mg per day of arzoxifene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator being investigated as a prevention and treatment for osteoporosis, significantly increased lumbar spine and total hip bone mineral density in postmenopausal women with normal or low bone mass compared to placebo. The data also showed decreased biochemical markers of bone turnover and showed a neutral effect on the uterus and endometrium.

“It is encouraging that arzoxifene showed the potential of bone loss prevention, with significant gains in BMD in the spine and hip areas in postmenopausal women in this study,” lead investigator Michael Bolognese of the Bethesda Health Research Center in Bethesda, Md., said in a statement. “I am pleased with the results from this study and believe that arzoxifene at 20 mg per day may be a therapeutic option worthy of continued development.”

The study, Foundation, is one of three phase 3 studies of the drug and involved 331 postmenopausal women who received 500 mg of elemental calcium plus 20 mg of arzoxifene or placebo.