Reclast has received U.S. approval as an osteoporosis treatment that can be used once every two years, drug maker Novartis AG announced Monday.
The Associated Press reported that the drug was already being used in the U.S. and Europe as a once-a-year infusion therapy to treat postmenopausal osteoporosis in women, to increase bone mass in men with osteoporosis, and to treat and prevent osteoporosis caused by steroid treatment.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for use of Reclast once every two years is based on research involving more than 500 post-menopausal women with low bone mass, Novartis said. A single infusion of the drug significantly increased bone mineral density at two years, the study found.
According to Novartis, osteoporosis affects about 10 million women and men in the United States, the AP reported.