New Study Highlights Romosozumab’s Potential in Bone Health for Women with Diabetes

A recent study has shed light on the potential benefits of romosozumab in improving bone health among postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and osteoporosis. Conducted by Serge Ferrari, MD, at Geneva University Hospital in Switzerland, the study involved 360 participants divided into two groups. One group of 165 women received romosozumab followed by alendronate, while the other group of 195 women received alendronate alone. The findings, published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, reveal significant improvements in bone density and quality for those on the romosozumab-to-alendronate regimen.

The study, funded by Amgen, UCB Pharma, and Astellas Pharma, represents only 8.8% of the overall ARCH population. Researchers evaluated lumbar spine areal bone mineral density and tissue thickness-adjusted trabecular bone score using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry scans. Results showed that the percentage of women with normal trabecular bone score values increased from 23.6% at baseline to 50.0% at month 36 in the romosozumab-to-alendronate group. By comparison, the alendronate-alone group saw an increase from 25.1% to 38.0%.

Romosozumab led to notable improvements in bone health. Over a period of 12 months on romosozumab followed by 24 months on alendronate, participants experienced a 7.0% gain in lumbar spine areal bone mineral density and a 2.6% increase in trabecular bone score. These gains outperformed the results seen in the alendronate-alone group over 36 months.

“The greater and more rapid increases in [areal bone mineral density] and [tissue thickness–adjusted trabecular bone score] that we observed with romosozumab followed by alendronate compared with alendronate alone may contribute to a greater reduction in fracture risk in patients at high risk for fracture, such as postmenopausal patients with diabetes,” the authors noted.

The study also highlighted that lower trabecular bone scores, which are linked to increased fracture risk, are common in patients with T2D. The findings suggest that romosozumab can effectively mitigate these risks by significantly enhancing bone density and quality. These benefits were sustained even after transitioning from romosozumab to alendronate.