Study summary · research use only
Orthopedic uses of teriparatide
Plain-language summary
Paraphrased from the published abstract below — not a verdict on whether anything works.
This review discusses orthopedic uses of teriparatide in humans, a drug approved for treating osteoporosis patients at high fracture risk. The authors describe teriparatide as an anabolic agent that stimulates bone formation by enhancing osteoblast-derived formation relative to osteoclast-derived resorption, with a net effect of increased bone mass. They note that a similar process of increased bone formation is required transiently at a fracture site for repair, and that teriparatide has been investigated in animal models and patients as a potential agent to enhance fracture repair, with additional interest in cartilage repair based on evidence it enhances chondrogenesis. The authors mention ongoing research on effects on mesenchymal stem cells and anecdotally reported effects including healing of fracture nonunions and decreased back pain.
Abstract
Teriparatide is a drug currently approved for treating patients with osteoporosis who are at high risk for future fracture. In the treatment of osteoporosis, teriparatide works as an anabolic agent stimulating bone formation throughout the skeleton by principally enhancing osteoblast-derived bone formation relative to osteoclast-derived bone resorption. The net effect is increased bone mass. For patients with a fracture, a similar process of increased bone formation is required transiently at the fracture site for repair. Teriparatide has been investigated in animal models and in patients as a potential agent to enhance fracture repair. In addition, evidence that teriparatide enhances chondrogenesis has generated interest in using the agent for articular cartilage repair. Research is currently underway to understand the effects teriparatide may have on mesenchymal stem cells, and on other effects that have been reported anecdotally in patients using the drug for osteoporosis care, including the healing of fracture nonunions and a decreased incidence of back pain. We review the current animal and human reports available on the uses of teriparatide in musculoskeletal diseases beyond osteoporosis.
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