Bone Disease Markers Help to Monitor Response and Adherence to Osteoporosis Treatments

Roche Diagnostics offers one of the most complete ranges of tests for osteoporosis that can be performed on a single serum work area platform. As concerns are raised about the limited use of more expensive treatments for osteoporosis (1), this comprehensive range of Elecsys bone marker assays provides valuable information for the diagnostic and prognostic assessment of bone metabolism in patients with, or at risk of, osteoporosis and other bone diseases, in addition to providing an early indication of response and adherence to treatment.

According to the National Osteoporosis Society, one in 2 women and one in 5 men over the age of 50 will suffer a bone fracture, the main cause of which is osteoporosis (2). Among the most commonly used treatments for osteoporosis are the bisphosphonates. Although this group of drugs can be highly effective, gastric side effects and a complex treatment regimen can result in poor adherence. Alternative treatments, such as anabolic therapies, are more expensive, and so are less likely to be prescribed as a first choice.

The traditional method for measuring response to treatment, bone mass densitometry (BMD), can take up to two years to demonstrate improvement to bone density. The availability of the Roche Elecsys range of bone marker, hormone and bone mineral assays on a single serum work area allows response to treatment and patient compliance to be monitored at an earlier stage (as early as 3-6 months after initiation of treatment) and throughout the course of treatment, encouraging adherence to treatment and providing medical staff with valuable information about the effectiveness of the treatment in use.

The comprehensive range of osteoporosis tests available from Roche for use with cobas or MODULAR Analytics serum work areas include the Elecsys bone marker assays (ß-CrossLaps, total PINP, N-Mid Osteocalcin and vitamin D3-OH), the Elecsys hormone assays (parathormone, oestradiol, testosterone, DHEA and SHBG) and bone mineral assays (calcium and phosphate).

1. BBC Radio 4 Woman’s Hour, 3 March 2009.
2. www.nos.org.uk