Paget's disease of bone (osteitis deformans) treated with human synthetic calcitonin

Thirteen patients with symptoms of active Paget's disease of bone, confirmed biochemically and radiologically, were studied. Each patient received a 6 months' course of therapy with human synthetic calcitonin (HCT), starting with 1 mg daily subcutaneously or intramuscularly for the first month and thereafter 3 times per week for 5 months. Twelve patients completed the course of therapy. Ten of the 12 patients derived moderate to great symptomatic improvement from their treatment. The improvement usually became evident 6 weeks after the start of treatment and this improvement persisted in 4 patients from 6 months to 1 year after treatment was stopped. The plasma alkaline phosphatase had fallen from the initial values by a mean of 26% after 6 weeks and 31% after 6 months of treatment. The urinary hydroxyproline likewise had fallen by 42% at 6 weeks and 46% at 6 months. Side-effects were generally mild and self-limiting, with flushing being the most common. It is concluded that human calcitonin is beneficial in the treatment of Paget's disease of bone and may prevent the problems of antibody resistance and allergic phenomena encountered with other preparations of calcitonin.