SAN FRANCISCO, California, March 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Frost & Sullivan will present Servier with the 2004 Osteoporosis Therapeutics Industry Innovation & Advancement of the Year Award at tonight’s Excellence in Medical Devices & Healthcare Awards Banquet.
Servier receives the Award for significantly altering the industry and benefiting both patients and physicians through its vision and creativeness.
Servier’s innovation is aptly reflected in the development of Protelos/Protos (strontium ranelate), a promising new compound for osteoporosis that appears to have the unique potential to slow down the natural process of bone destruction while revitalizing the process of bone building.
“Unlike bisphosphonates and even anabolic agents, Protelos/Protos has demonstrated the ability to both inhibit bone loss and promote new bone formation,” remarks Frost & Sullivan industry analyst Patrick Rajan. “This stimulates the formation of new and stronger bones, and provides early and sustained antifracture efficacy.”
A three-year randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study sponsored by Servier revealed that postmenopausal women with osteoporosis who were given strontium ranelate experienced a 41 percent reduction in risk of a vertebral fracture, compared with placebo. The study included 1,649 women who had suffered at least one previous vertebral fracture.
At the end of the three-year period, it was found that the administration of strontium ranelate had helped increase bone mineral density by 14.4 percent at the lumbar spine and 8.3 percent at the femoral neck. Most significantly, the overall vertebral density in the strontium group had increased by 11.4 percent, as against the 1.3 percent decrease in the placebo group.
Based on results from Phase III clinical development, Protelos/Protos is thought to be effective in treating bone loss at both the hip and vertebrae. It has shown efficacy in patients with severe osteoporosis as well as those with osteopenia. Notably, it is the first osteoporosis compound to have had encouraging results in elderly patients aged 80 and over.
“Servier has demonstrated that Protelos/Protos not only reduces fracture risk and improves patients’ quality of life but has also proved to be very well tolerated and easy to use for patients,” says Rajan. “By offering the best properties of antiresorptive and anabolic agents, this innovative compound potentially brings new hope to millions of people suffering from osteoporosis.”
Held in San Francisco, Frost & Sullivan’s 2005 Excellence in Medical Devices Awards Banquet honors world-class companies for outstanding performance and achievements in the medical devices industry. An annual event, the banquet recognizes the quality and merit of distinguished individuals and companies.
About Servier
Servier is a leading French pharmaceutical company, involved in research and development of ethical pharmaceuticals. For several decades, the company has been expanding internationally and is now present in 140 countries.
Servier’s main areas of therapeutic research are: cardiovascular, metabolic diseases such as diabetes, neuropsychiatric diseases, cancer, and bone diseases.
Servier discovered and developed Protelos, a new treatment, recently licensed across Europe for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis to reduce the risk of vertebral and hip fractures.
About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, a global growth consulting company founded in 1961, partners with clients to create value through innovative growth strategies. The foundation of this partnership approach is our Growth Partnership Services platform, whereby we provide industry research, marketing strategies, consulting, and training to our clients to help grow their business. A key benefit that Frost & Sullivan brings to its clients is a global perspective on a broad range of industries, markets, technologies, econometrics, and demographics. With a client list that includes Global 1000 companies, emerging companies, as well as the investment community, Frost & Sullivan has evolved into one of the premier growth consulting companies in the world. For more information, visit http://www.frost.com/.
Contact: Stacie Jones +1-210-247-2450 Stacie.jones@frost.com
Frost & Sullivan
CONTACT: Contact: Stacie Jones, +1-210-247-2450, Stacie.jones@frost.com