DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--New data from a Phase IIB clinical study of odanacatib, Merck & Co., Inc.'s oral, once-weekly investigational treatment for osteoporosis, showed that when stopping treatment after two years, the increases in lower back (lumbar spine) bone mineral density (BMD) were reversed over the next year, while BMD at the hip (femoral neck) remained above levels observed at the start of the study. Additionally, three years of treatment with odanacatib 50 mg demonstrated increases in BMD at key fracture sites and minimal impact on the formation of new bone as measured by biochemical markers of bone turnover. These new data were presented at the 31st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).
