What's New

Stay up-to-date with the developments in research, what’s in the news, our opinions, and random thoughts. Our goal is to inform you of what we are reading, seeing, and hearing about to keep you abreast with the latest information on bone health (calcium, vitamin D, bone density), osteopenia, and osteoporosis.

screening

When to screen?

Remember the outcry about when to screen for mammography? The public and health professional’s objections were deafening in response to the US Preventive Services Task Force’s new guidelines for screening ages for mammograms. To avoid a similar boondoggle, the US Preventive Services Task Force released a draft guideline for screening for osteoporosis today. They asked… Read more

FRAX Website

SNL’s Parody of Osteoporosis Drug Commercial

I just returned from attending a family reunion on the east coat. Like any vacation your schedule is changed and you get to do things you usually don’t do. For me, that was staying up late. Of course, it helped for the first few days that my body was still on west coast time. Saturday… Read more

Dental square icons

Osteonecrosis of the Jaw Lawsuit

A New York jury awarded $8 million to plaintiff 72-year-old Shirley Boles from Fort Walton, Florida who claimed Merck’s osteoporosis drug Fosamax destroyed her jawbone causing serious pain and disability. The jury concluded that Fosamax was “unreasonably dangerous due to defective design, and that its defective design was a legal cause of Mrs. Boles’ injury.”… Read more

cigarettes

Smoking: Bad to the Bone

Tobacco products are no longer available for sale to teenagers under the age of 18. Parts of the Tobacco Control Act signed last year at this time by President Obama went into effect this week: No tobacco sales to minors. No packs smaller than 20 cigarettes that were considered soft marketing to teens. Changes in… Read more

syringe

Amgen’s Osteoporosis Drug PROLIA™ Approved by the FDA

On the heels of the European Union’s approval, the FDA announced today approval of Amgen’s osteoporosis drug Prolia™ (denosumab) for treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. We were expecting news later in the summer, so this early announcement was a surprise. Prolia™ is given in your doctor’s office as a shot under the skin twice… Read more

Ranch & Coast Magazine Cover

4BoneHealth Article in Ranch & Coast Magazine

4BoneHealth was featured in Ranch & Coast Magazine’s June issue. Andrea Naversen, R&C Editor-at-Large, interviewed our Dr. Diane Schneider to learn more about osteoporosis and 4BoneHeath. The article “Make No Bones About It” features questions and answers about bone health. The article is available online at Ranch & Coast’s Website. Learn more about your bones.… Read more

EU Flag

Unique New Drug Approved for Treatment of Osteoporosis in EU

Prolia™ (denosumab), a medicine for treatment of osteoporosis under review by the FDA, received approval today (May 28, 2010) for marketing in the European Union. For Amgen, the maker of Prolia™, this was the drug’s first approval for use. The approval was 2-fold: 1- for treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women at increased risk of fractures… Read more

sunbathing

A Deficiency of the Sunshine Vitamin? But I live in Southern California!

During my most recent annual physical my physician requested one further blood value to analyze along with the standard blood profile. In addition to the typical lipid panel, CA 125 test, and an array of others, she was also interested in evaluating my vitamin D level. I quietly thought testing my Vitamin D was completely… Read more

Atypical femur fracture X-ray

Are Medicines That Should Prevent Fractures Causing Fractures?

Research Article: Bisphosphonates and Fractures of the Subtrochanteric or Diaphyseal Femur Dennis M. Black, et al for the Fracture Intervention Trial and HORIZON Pivotal Fracture Trial Steering Committees. New England Journal of Medicine. 2010 May 13;362(19):1761-71. Epub 2010 Mar 24. Background. Bisphosphonates are a class of drugs commonly prescribed for patients who have osteoporosis and… Read more

caution

The Clintons: A Tale of Two Diseases

Welcome to May–National Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month! Unfortunately, few people know that. Osteoporosis is like the red-headed stepchild of health–it gets no respect or attention. Let me give you a high profile example.