Bone Therapeutics: Safety Considerations, Session Summary.

This session was a series of presentations focused on safety considerations for late stage or currently marketed bone therapeutic agents. The first presentation was an overview of a major regulatory requirement in the nonclinical filing package for bone therapeutics, studies designed to assess the impact of an agent on bone quality. Two presentations focused on safety issues associated with drugs whose primary mechanism of action is inhibition of bone resorption. Typical findings associated with this class of agents in general and reproductive toxicology studies were reviewed, highlighting INHAND (International Harmonization of Nomenclature and Diagnostic Criteria) nomenclature. This was followed by an overview of safety issues that have been identified largely through clinical experience. Similar presentations followed emphasizing safety and regulatory issues associated with classes of drugs whose primary mechanism of action is stimulation of bone formation known broadly as bone anabolic agents. The major focus of these discussions was carcinogenicity risk assessment. The final presentation was an introduction to a rapidly evolving area in bone therapeutics, treatment of rare genetic bone diseases, and the developmental challenges associated with these indications and novel therapeutic modalities.

Interrelationships between bone microarchitecture and strength in ovariectomized monkeys treated with teriparatide.

UNLABELLED: Bone microarchitecture measured at the iliac crest at 6 mo was confirmed to be a reasonable surrogate for, and a predictor of, architecture and strength of the femoral neck and lumbar vertebra after 18 mo of teriparatide treatment. However, the data taken together showed the importance of cortical bone volume for vertebra to assess pharmacological effects on bone quality. INTRODUCTION: Improvements in bone architecture with teriparatide treatment are suggested to contribute to fracture risk reduction in osteoporotic patients. Teriparatide significantly improves microarchitecture in the iliac crest of humans by stimulating bone modeling and remodeling processes that differ dramatically from those induced by antiresorptives. The relationship between improvements of bone microarchitecture and improvements of bone strength with teriparatide treatment has not yet been fully studied. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ovariectomized monkeys were administered vehicle (n = 20); teriparatide 1.0 microg/kg/d (n = 19); or teriparatide 5.0 microg/kg/d (n = 21) for 18 mo. Iliac crest biopsies were obtained at 6 and 15 mo after initiation of treatment. Animals were killed after 18 mo of treatment, and adjacent vertebrae or contralateral proximal femora were processed for biomechanical or histomorphometric analyses. Pearson correlation analyses were performed to assess the relationship between biomechanical and static histomorphometric parameters of lumbar vertebra, femoral neck, and iliac crest biopsies. RESULTS: Static histomorphometric parameters of the 6- and 15-mo biopsies were significantly correlated with the vertebral and femoral neck parameters obtained at 18 mo of teriparatide treatment. Iliac crest biopsy parameters at 6 and 15 mo also correlated with vertebral and femoral neck strength at 18 mo. Static histomorphometry of the lumbar vertebra and femoral neck at 18 mo also significantly correlated with strength at these sites. However, cortical bone volume of the lumbar vertebrae had the strongest correlation with vertebral and femoral neck strength (r = 0.74 and 0.71, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Teriparatide dose dependently improved cortical and trabecular microarchitecture of vertebra and femoral neck, as well as trabecular microarchitecture of the iliac crest. Bone microarchitecture at all sites was significantly correlated with lumbar vertebra and femoral neck strength. Cortical bone volume of vertebra had the strongest correlation with vertebral and femoral neck strength. Therefore, structural improvement seemed to be part of the mechanism for improved strength observed with teriparatide treatment. Trabecular bone architecture of the iliac crest at 6 mo also correlated with vertebral and femoral neck strength, as did femoral neck (cortical and trabecular) histomorphometry and trabecular histomorphometry of vertebra after 18 mo of treatment. Because clinical assessment of cortical bone volume is not readily possible for vertebra noninvasively, these findings confirm the importance of iliac crest biopsies to monitor skeletal health and show that biopsies are a reasonable surrogate to assess spine and femoral neck structure and function.

Bone mass and soy isoflavones in socially housed, premenopausal macaques.

BACKGROUND: Soy consumption is associated with a lower incidence of hip fracture in Asian than in Western women, an effect often attributed to estrogen-like compounds (isoflavones) in soy. It is not known whether premenopausal soy exposure initiated in adulthood can increase bone mass and thereby reduce fracture risk. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine whether a high-isoflavone soy diet influences bone mass in soy-naïve, premenopausal cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis). DESIGN: Ninety-four skeletally mature females were randomly assigned to consume diets whose protein content came from either high-isoflavone soy or casein and lactalbumin. Animals were socially housed. Bone mass and circulating isoflavone concentrations were measured at baseline and 19 and 31 mo after the start of treatment; bone biomarkers were measured at baseline and 31 mo. RESULTS: There were no significant differences at any timepoint in whole-body bone mineral content between casein-fed (112.5 +/- 2.1, 119.2 +/- 1.9, and 120.7 +/- 2.1 g) and soy-fed (117.2 +/- 2.1, 122.4 +/- 2.0, and 125.4 +/- 2.3 g; P=0.12) monkeys. Similar results were seen for spinal bone mineral density (casein-fed: 0.46 +/- 0.01, 0.50 +/- 0.01, and 0.52 +/- 0.01 g/cm(2); soy-fed: 0.47 +/- 0.01, 0.51 +/- 0.01, and 0.52 +/- 0.01 g/cm(2); P=0.30) and bone biomarker measurements-bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (soy-fed: 82.3 +/- 4.1 and 63.2 +/- 3.4 ng/mL; casein-fed: 94.1 +/- 4.5 and 61.7 +/- 4.3 ng/mL; P=0.22) and C-terminal crosslink of type 1 collagen (soy-fed: 0.944 +/- 0.06 and 0.89 +/- 0.08 nmol/L; casein-fed: 0.97 +/- 0.07 and 0.78 +/- 0.06 nmol/L; P=0.20). CONCLUSION: A soy diet high in isoflavones does not significantly affect bone characteristics in initially soy-naïve premenopausal monkeys.

Teriparatide [PTH(1-34)] strengthens the proximal femur of ovariectomized nonhuman primates despite increasing porosity.

UNLABELLED: OVX monkeys treated for 18 months with 1 or 5 microg/kg/d teriparatide [PTH (1-34)] had significantly stronger proximal femora relative to ovariectomized controls. Teriparatide enhancement of cortical area, cortical width, and trabecular bone volume seemed to more than compensate for the dose-dependent increase in cortical porosity. Beneficial effects of teriparatide treatment on the proximal femur persisted beyond the treatment period and may extend to the marrow. INTRODUCTION: We conducted a detailed quantitative analysis of the effects of teriparatide on the proximal femur of ovariectomized monkeys. Teriparatide increased bone mass, enhanced structural architecture, and strengthened the hip, despite increasing cortical porosity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Monkeys were treated with vehicle (sham or OVX controls), 1 microg/kg/day teriparatide [parathyroid hormone (1-34); PTH1], or 5 microg/kg/day teriparatide (PTH5) for 18 months or for 12 months followed by 6 months of treatment withdrawal (PTH1W and PTH5W, respectively). Excised proximal femora were analyzed by microCT, conventional histomorphometry, and biomechanics. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The femoral neck showed significant reduction in trabecular bone volume (BV/TV) for OVX compared with sham, whereas PTH1 BV/TV was restored to sham levels and PTH5 BV/TV was greater than sham and OVX. The withdrawal groups had BV/TVs intermediate between sham and OVX. PTH1 had trabecular number (Tb.N) greater than OVX, and PTH5 Tb.N was greater than sham and OVX. The withdrawal groups had Tb.Ns intermediate between sham and OVX. No differences between groups were observed for trabecular orientation or trabecular thickness. Teriparatide dose-dependently increased bone formation rate and activation frequency in the femoral neck. Cellular composition analyses suggested a tendency of ovariectomy to increase adiposity of marrow by 100%, whereas PTH tended to reduce adipocyte number and increase osteoblast number compared with OVX. Analyses of the cortex showed dose-dependent elevation of cortical porosity, which was consistent with enhanced bone turnover with treatment. Cortical porosity was reduced after withdrawal of teriparatide, because PTH1W cortical porosity was lower than OVX, whereas PTH5W cortical porosity was intermediate between sham and OVX. Increased cortical porosity did not weaken the proximal femora. Biomechanics showed that ovariectomy weakened proximal femora compared with sham, but PTH1, PTH5, and PTH1W were stronger than OVX and not different from sham. PTH5W strength was intermediate between sham and OVX. Therefore, teriparatide had beneficial effects on the proximal femur, despite increasing cortical porosity. Cortical porosity did not adversely affect the mechanical integrity of the proximal femora, because enhanced cortical area and trabecular bone volume more than compensated for the porosity. Much of the beneficial effects of teriparatide were retained after 6 months withdrawal from treatment. PTH effects on the femoral neck were not limited to bone but may include inhibition of OVX-stimulated adiposity of the marrow.

Effects of raloxifene on bone density, biomarkers, and histomorphometric and biomechanical measures in ovariectomized cynomolgus monkeys.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of raloxifene on bone density, strength, metabolism, and histomorphometric characteristics in ovariectomized cynomolgus monkeys. DESIGN: A prospective, longitudinal study was designed to examine the effects of conjugated equine estrogens (0.04 mg/kg, CEE) and raloxifene (1 or 5 mg/kg, R1 and R5, respectively) on bone density, biomarkers, histomorphometry, and strength. Control groups included ovariectomized and sham-operated monkeys. Treatment was initiated the day after ovariectomy and continued for 24 months. Bone biomarker data were collected at baseline and every 3 months after surgery. Bone mass was determined at baseline and every 6 months after ovariectomy. Iliac biopsies were collected at baseline and 16 months postovariectomy, and the second lumbar vertebra and left midshaft femur collected at necropsy were examined histomorphometrically. Bone biomechanical properties were determined for the right femur and vertebrae. RESULTS: Compared with the placebo-treated ovariectomized monkeys, the high-dose raloxifene group had lower levels of alkaline phosphatase, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase, urinary CrossLaps (collagen degradation products), and greater bone mass in the lumbar vertebrae. In the endocortical compartment, the high-dose raloxifene group had significantly lower mineralizing surface, mineral apposition rate, and bone formation rate in the iliac biopsy collected at 16 months and lower bone formation rate in the second lumbar vertebra. Within the midshaft femur, low-dose raloxifene significantly decreased the osteonal and total bone formation rates and also prevented the decrease in Young's modulus induced by ovariectomy in the midshaft femur. CONCLUSIONS: High-dose raloxifene prevented the development of osteopenia in the ovariectomized monkey by reducing bone turnover, albeit to a lesser extent than CEE. Histomorphometric and biomarker data suggest that mechanisms underlying the effect of raloxifene differ somewhat from that of CEE.

Endocrine disruption in adolescence: immunologic, hematologic, and bone effects in monkeys.

Environmental contaminants with estrogenic properties have the potential to alter pubertal development. In addition to the reproductive system, other systems that mature under the influence of estrogen could be affected. This study examined the effect on immune, hematologic, and bone mass parameters of treatment with estrogenic agents (methoxychlor, MXC, 25 and 50 mg/kg/day; diethylstilbestrol, DES, 0.5 mg/kg/day) given in the peripubertal period to female rhesus monkeys. DES had striking effects on several parameters assessed measures CBC and clinical chemistry including hematocrit, hemoglobin, serum albumin, liver transaminases, and lipids. Circulating lymphocytes, particularly B cells, were depressed by DES, and a maturational shift in a memory T-cell population was altered. Bone mass and length, as measured after a 9-month recovery period, were significantly lower in the DES group and bone mass tended to be reduced in the femur of the MXC50 group relative to controls. In conclusion, the data indicate that DES had a clear effect on immunohematology and bone growth, while MXC influenced fewer parameters. Disruption in these systems during puberty could alter adolescent risk for anemia and infectious disease and subsequent adult risk for diseases such as osteoporosis, heart disease, and autoimmune disease.

Hormonal therapies and osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis, now defined as a disease characterized by low bone mass and a microarchitectural deterioration of bone tissue leading to enhanced bone fragility and fracture risk, is a major public health problem. Classic hormonal therapies to prevent and treat osteoporosis associated with menopause have recently been questioned due to the risk/benefit ratio of prolonged treatment. There is a critical need for safe and effective alternative therapeutics for this disease. Nonhuman primates have been used as models to assess bone changes associated with estrogen deficiency because their trabecular and cortical bone remodeling processes, monthly menstrual cycles, and reproductive-hormone patterns are similar to those of humans. The ovariectomized nonhuman primate has become the preferred model in which to study effects on bone remodeling, particularly with regard to bone mass, architecture, and strength, in fulfillment of studies required by international guidelines for the development of antiosteoporotic drugs. The nonhuman primate is amenable to several methodologies that assess bone quantity and quality, including dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), quantitative computed tomography (QCT), histology, static and dynamic histomorphometry, and biomechanical testing, as well as assays developed for clinical use, which serve as biomarkers of bone metabolic processes. The use of the nonhuman primate model in the assessment of osteoporosis therapeutics, both hormonal (sex steroids and their analogues, parathyroid hormone) and nonhormonal (bisphosphonates), has provided valuable information on the safety and efficacy as well as the mechanisms of bone loss associated with estrogen deficiency that is directly applicable to the human situation.