Abaloparatide: A new pharmacological option for osteoporosis

The efficacy and safety of abaloparatide, a parathyroid hormone-related protein analog for the treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women at high fracture risk, is reviewed.

A MEDLINE search was conducted for full text English-language articles, using the terms abaloparatide, parathyroid hormone, and osteoporosis. Published articles pertinent to the short- and long-term efficacy and safety of abaloparatide among postmenopausal women with osteoporosis were reviewed and summarized. Based on randomized, placebo-controlled and active-comparator studies, abaloparatide can reduce the risk of new vertebral and nonvertebral fractures in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Abaloparatide can also significantly increase bone mineral density (BMD) at the total hip, femoral neck, and lumbar spine. Patients receiving abaloparatide experience faster and more robust changes in BMD compared to those receiving teriparatide. Overall, abaloparatide is well tolerated with a mild adverse effect profile, including dizziness, headache, nausea, and palpitations. Additionally, there is a lower incidence of hypercalcemia with abaloparatide than with teriparatide. At this time, the differences demonstrated between abaloparatide and teriparatide would not be considered clinically significant. Larger and more robust studies are needed to determine future clinical significance of abaloparatide compared with other agents for use in the postmenopausal osteoporotic population.

Abaloparatide is an effective anabolic agent to improve bone formation and resorption amongst postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Based on its clinical evidence, abaloparatide can result in greater BMD increases and less hypercalcemia compared with the only current marketed anabolic agent, teriparatide. Adverse events associated with abaloparatide are generally mild in nature and include nausea, dizziness, headache, and palpitations.