Effects of Parathyroid Hormone in Men With Osteoporosis

December 6, 2013 updated by: Joel S. Finkelstein, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital

Anabolic Actions of Parathyroid Hormone in Osteoporotic Men

Alendronate is a drug that blocks or reduces bone loss, while parathyroid hormone (PTH) stimulates the formation of new bone. The purpose of this study is to compare the bone-building effects of PTH alone, alendronate alone, and both PTH and alendronate in men with osteoporosis over a two-and-a-half year period.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Detailed Description

Osteoporosis causes bones to weaken and break more easily. Alendronate is used to treat or prevent osteoporosis. PTH is a protein hormone that increases the calcium and phosphorus release from bone, leading to formation of new bone. This study will examine the changes in bone density measured at multiple places in the skeleton and changes in chemicals in the body that indicate bone breakdown and bone formation. The study will indicate whether some breakdown of bone is required for PTH to have an overall bone-building effect in men.

Participants will be randomly assigned to receive PTH alone by daily injection under the skin, alendronate alone taken by mouth, or both PTH and alendronate. The study will last 2.5 years. All participants will receive some form of treatment for osteoporosis. Blood, urine, and bone density tests will be performed at 6-month intervals. During the first 6 months, participants will come in for additional study visits.

Participants who complete the initial 2.5 years of their assigned treatment will be eligible for a 12 month extension to monitor bone density and bone turnover after PTH is stopped. Participants who were receiving alendronate will continue taking alendronate. The goal of this extension is to determine what happens to bone density and turnover after PTH is stopped and whether alendronate is needed to prevent loss of PTH-induced bone gain.

Participants who complete the 12 month extension while on their assigned treatment will be eligible for a second 12 month extension in which all participants receive PTH therapy. Participants who have been receiving alendronate continue taking alendronate. The goal of the second extension is to determine if responsiveness to PTH is enhanced by a 12 month suspension of PTH treatment.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment

81

Phase

  • Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Massachusetts
      • Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02114
        • Massachusetts General Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

46 years to 85 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Male

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Bone density of the spine or femoral neck two standard deviations below the mean of young adult men
  • Normal renal and liver function tests, normal serum testosterone level, normal vitamin D and PTH levels

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Significant cardiac, renal, hepatic, or malignant disease.
  • Disorders (e.g., Paget's disease, hyperthyroidism, hyperparathyroidism) or drugs (e.g., steroids, anticonvulsants, lithium, bisphosphonates, calcitonin, fluoride) known to affect bone metabolism
  • Active peptic ulcer disease or severe reflux

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Joel S. Finkelstein, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

September 1, 1999

Primary Completion (Actual)

October 1, 2005

Study Completion (Actual)

October 1, 2005

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

January 18, 2000

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 18, 2000

First Posted (Estimate)

January 19, 2000

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

December 9, 2013

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 6, 2013

Last Verified

December 1, 2013

More Information

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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