[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/osteoporosis\/forteo-bone-drug\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/osteoporosis\/forteo-bone-drug\/","headline":"Forteo for osteoporosis \u2014 is this bone drug too good to be true?","name":"Forteo for osteoporosis \u2014 is this bone drug too good to be true?","description":"Print PDF eBook Facebook Twitter Gmail LinkedIn Pinterest Forteo™ (teriparatide) is a new and different drug on the scene as a treatment for osteoporosis. Other bone drugs, like Fosamax, Actonel, Boniva or even estrogen work to halt bone breakdown. Forteo, on the other hand, works to increase new bone formation. Short-term studies, in fact, report […]","datePublished":"2020-02-26","dateModified":"2026-04-22","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/author\/brownbetterbonesgmail-com\/#Person","name":"Dr. Susan E. Brown, PhD","url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/author\/brownbetterbonesgmail-com\/","identifier":72,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8e08d87bd45250c6616e1752933a6576aba077f335d97ee337a0cde5e435cbd3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8e08d87bd45250c6616e1752933a6576aba077f335d97ee337a0cde5e435cbd3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Center for Better Bones","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Better-Bones-AMP.png","url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Better-Bones-AMP.png","width":150,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/forteo-osteoporosis-BB-Blog-2-20.jpg","url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/05\/forteo-osteoporosis-BB-Blog-2-20.jpg","height":1109,"width":2120},"url":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/osteoporosis\/forteo-bone-drug\/","about":["Bone Drugs","Osteoporosis"],"wordCount":1094,"keywords":["Fracture","bone drugs","forteo"],"articleBody":" Print PDF eBook\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFacebook\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTwitter\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGmail\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLinkedIn\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPinterest\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tForteo™ (teriparatide) is a new and different drug on the scene as a treatment for osteoporosis. Other bone drugs, like Fosamax, Actonel, Boniva or even estrogen work to halt bone breakdown. Forteo, on the other hand, works to increase new bone formation. Short-term studies, in fact, report a common 9% increase in lumbar spine bone density and a 2\u20133% increase in hip density accompanied by significant reductions in fracture incidence. Sound too good to be true? Sure does. So let\u2019s take a second look and try to understand this new drug from what the manufacturer, Eli Lilly, tells us in their 2008 Forteo Product Monograph.Table of ContentsToggle     5 Minutes ReadWhat exactly is Forteo?How does Forteo work?By how much does Forteo reduce fractures?Just how much does Forteo increase bone density?Why are there just short-term studies on Forteo, and is it safe?Expensive, experimental, possibly cancer-causing and inconvenientIs there a better way?What exactly is Forteo?Forteo is a man-made (well, E. coli-made) recombinant parathyroid hormone that has an amino acid sequence identical to part of the human parathyroid hormone (PTH). Forteo was approved by the US FDA in 2001 as an osteoporosis drug.How does Forteo work?In the body, natural parathyroid hormone serves to regulate bone metabolism in many ways. Chronic elevation of PTH, as in hyperparathyroidism, results in increased bone breakdown, a loss of calcium and osteoporosis. On the other hand, daily injections of the PTH drug Forteo have the paradoxical effect of increasing bone mass and reducing osteoporosis. As scientists report, it seems to be that the pattern of exposure to parathyroid hormone determines its effect on the skeleton.Through activation of various bone metabolic pathways, the PTH drug (Forteo) increases the number of active osteoblasts (bone-building cells), decreases the naturally programmed death of osteoblast cells and recruits bone-lining cells as osteoblasts. This drug appears to act largely upon the bone-building osteoblast cells stimulating them to overactivity. Safety studies on this drug in rats, in fact, have shown findings of excessive new bone formation and bone cancer. Interestingly enough, the cancer this drug was found to cause in rat studies (osteosarcoma \u2014 I\u2019ll say a little more about this shortly) is a cancer often associated with high osteoblast activity and rapid bone growth.By how much does Forteo reduce fractures?Reduction of spinal fractures \u2014 Among 1,637 postmenopausal women with severe osteoporosis and one or more vertebral fractures at baseline, the drug produced a 9.3% absolute fracture risk reduction over 19 months.Reduction of hip, pelvis, wrist, rib, humerus and other fractures \u2014 Over 19 months in these same high risk women, Forteo reduced nonvertebral fractures by an absolute 2.9% reduction in fractures.So, overall, the short-term studies on Forteo reported above show this drug to reduce fracture risk substantially more than the bisphosphonate drugs like Fosamax. In addition, Forteo in these studies increased bone density more than the bisphosphonates.Just how much does Forteo increase bone density?In this same 19-month study of high risk osteoporotic women, Forteo increased bone density by an average 9.7% in the spine and 2.6% in total hip, while the wrist lost bone density and total body mineral content remained the same.Why are there just short-term studies on Forteo, and is it safe?As the manufacturer reports, the longest studies on the safety and efficacy of Forteo were of only a two-year duration. Why are there only short-term studies on this new drug? There are only short-term studies because in the animal safety studies, Forteo was shown to cause a high incidence of osteosarcoma (a rare malignant, often fatal, bone tumor), as well as osteoblastoma (abnormal mass of tissue in bone) and osteoma (small benign bone lesions). As with all drug safety tests, the drug doses tested were from 3-, 20-, and at times, 60-fold higher than those used in human medications. Notably, bone tumors were observed at all Forteo doses, with the incidence reaching 40\u201350% in the higher-dose groups.Given this major safety concern, human trials with this drug were terminated early and guidelines were set to limit the duration of its use in humans. In fact, as the manufacturer specifically states, \u201cThe safety and efficacy of Forteo have not been evaluated beyond two years (median 19 months in women and 10 months in men). Consequently, the maximum lifetime exposure to Forteo for an individual patient is 18 months.\u201d Also, given the cancer-causing effect of the drug, the FDA required a \u201cblack box\u201d label warning, clearly stating the increased cancer risk shown in rat studies.Expensive, experimental, possibly cancer-causing and inconvenientAs near as I can calculate, since its development, studies on this drug have included only 1,943 patients. According to the manufacturer, a study of one year is considered \u201clong term,\u201d while the maximum length of any study was only two years. Thus, not only is Forteo relatively new, but it is also experimental and, I would say, inadequately tested. In addition, it is very expensive \u2014 the drug costs upwards of $600\u2013$700 per month! Further, it is inconvenient to use as it must be given as a daily self-administered injection. Most importantly, since this drug has shown to cause cancer in rat safety studies, its use by humans is limited to two years or less. While there may be significant bone density gains while using Forteo, the research is clear that these gains are lost once the drug is stopped. To maintain bone density gains, antiresorptive drugs such as Fosamax must be used after stopping Forteo.Is there a better way?This is the question I constantly ask myself \u2014 is there a better way to increase bone strength and reduce needless osteoporotic fractures? Is there a way that does not run the risk of causing cancer, or lead to excessive new bone formation \u2014 a way that is not only safe, but also good for the entire body? Yes, in most cases there is another way, and that way is through a comprehensive, life-supporting bone-building program that enlivens natural human healing and the body\u2019s regenerative capacity.Read More : What do I really think of osteoporosis drugs, anyway? To learn more on the topic of osteoporosis and bone loss, read our additional articles here:Top 10 myths about osteoporosisInformation on treatments for osteoporosis and osteopeniaCauses of osteoporosisRisks versus benefits of osteoporosis drugsNatural approach to osteoporosisFor everything you need to know about DEXA scans, visit our guide to the complete guide to osteoporosis testing.For natural support alongside any treatment, read our complete guide to bone health nutrition as a natural foundation."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Osteoporosis","item":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/osteoporosis\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Forteo for osteoporosis \u2014 is this bone drug too good to be true?","item":"https:\/\/betterbones.com\/osteoporosis\/forteo-bone-drug\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]