NIH Clinical Trial Shows Promise for Rare Bone Disorder Treatment
A clinical trial conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has found that denosumab, a medication used to treat bone problems from osteoporosis and cancer, significantly reduced abnormal bone turnover in adults with fibrous dysplasia, a rare disease marked by weak and misshapen bones. The study of eight participants showed that denosumab may improve patients’ quality of life by enabling healthy bone formation. However, abnormal bone turnover returned for all but one of the patients after they stopped taking the medication, indicating that clinicians must factor in these risks when treating patients.