LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Biotechnology company Amgen Inc.'s Sensipar (cinacalcet) is an effective treatment for primary hyperparathyroidism, offering a potential alternative to surgery, researchers said on Tuesday.
In a trial of 122 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism, Sensipar normalized serum calcium levels in about 80% of patients given the drug, according to data from a multicenter trial presented in Seattle at a meeting of the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research.
Reductions were maintained in the 18 patients who were treated for 3 years.
Surgical removal of one or more the parathyroid glands is currently the only definitive treatment for the condition, which affects about 500,000 Americans, according to Amgen.
Sensipar, classified as a calcimimetic, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in March to treat secondary hyperparathyroidism in chronic kidney disease patients on dialysis and to lower elevated calcium levels in the blood of patients with parathyroid carcinoma.
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