"EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE  A.M. ET TUESDAY AUGUST   Media Advisory To contact Paul D. Miller M.D. call  or email millerccbraol.com mailtomillerccbraol.com. To contact editorial coauthor Anne R. Cappola M.D. Sc.M. email Abbey Anderson at Abbey.Andersonuphs.upenn.edu mailtoAbbey.Andersonuphs.upenn.edu.   To place an electronic embedded link to this study and editorial in your story  These links will be live at the embargo time httpjama.jamanetwork.comarticle.aspxdoi.jama..  httpjama.jamanetwork.comarticle.aspxdoi.jama..   Among postmenopausal women with osteoporosis at risk of fracture daily injection of the drug abaloparatide for  months significantly reduced the risk of new vertebral and nonvertebral fractures compared with placebo according to a study appearing in the August  issue of JAMA.   Osteoporosis is associated with substantial social economic and public health burdens. Based on  U.S. Census data a study estimated the prevalence of osteoporosis among women  to  years of age at . million. It has been estimated that the lifetime risk of osteoporotic fracture for a yearold woman is  percent. Additional therapies are needed for prevention of osteoporotic fractures. As a result of its mechanism of action it has been hypothesized that the drug abaloparatide a synthetic peptide would have a more pronounced anabolic i.e. bone growing action on bone compared with the osteoporosis drug teriparatide.   Paul D. Miller M.D. of the Colorado Center for Bone Research Lakewood Colo. and colleagues randomly assigned postmenopausal women with osteoporosis to receive daily injections for  months of placebo n   abaloparatide n   or teriparatide n  . The trial was conducted at  sites in  countries.   Among  women average age  years  completed the study. New vertebral fractures occurred less frequently in the active treatment groups vs placebo in . percent n   of participants in the abaloparatide group in . percent n   of participants in the teriparatide group and in . percent n   of those in the placebo group. The estimated event rate for nonvertebral fracture was lower with abaloparatide vs placebo . percent in the abaloparatide group . percent in the teriparatide group and . percent in the placebo group.   Bone mineral density BMD increases were greater with abaloparatide than placebo. Incidence of hypercalcemia the presence of abnormally high levels of calcium in the blood was lower with abaloparatide . percent vs teriparatide . percent. Overall there were no differences in serious adverse events between the treatment groups.   Further research is needed to understand the clinical importance of risk difference the risks and benefits of abaloparatide treatment and the efficacy of abaloparatide vs other osteoporosis treatments the authors write. doi.jama.. the study is available preembargo to the media at the For the Media website httpmedia.jamanetwork.com   Editors Note This study was funded by Radius Health. Please see the article for additional information including other authors author contributions and affiliations financial disclosures etc.     Editorial Osteoporosis Therapy in Postmenopausal Women With High Risk of Fracture   Ultimately which therapy is selected for osteoporosis treatment may be less important than identifying and initiating an approved treatment write Anne R. Cappola M.D. Sc.M. of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia and Associate Editor JAMA and Dolores M. Shoback M.D. of the University of California San Francisco in an accompanying editorial.   The bar is high for any preventive treatmentin the efforts to prevent a fracture that may or may not ever occur prescribers do not want to prescribe a therapy that causes a new problem. The way forward for fracture prevention involves not only the development of better therapies to prevent fracture and easier delivery systems but also improved adoption of existing osteoporosis therapies for patients with prior fractures and minimization of adverse effects particularly those associated with longterm use. doi.jama.. the editorial is available preembargo to the media at the For the Media website httpmedia.jamanetwork.com   Editors Note Both authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none were reported."