One cheer for Pfizer's Fablyn

Pfizer's osteoporosis drug Fablyn (lasofoxifene), being developed jointly with Ligand Pharmaceuticals and awaiting regulatory approval, received a tepid review in a commentary in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) this week. It is merely a little more effective than currently approved drugs, said Dr. Carolyn Becker of Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital, who reviewed a study of the drug published in the NEJM.

"Given the plethora of drugs currently available for osteoporosis, studies of new agents should show clear benefits over existing agents", said Becker. "Lasofoxifene offers no major clinically important benefits over raloxifene for the skeleton, breast, heart or reproductive tract." Raloxifene is sold by Eli Lilly under the brand name Evista. Other drugs in the crowded market include Merck's Fosamax, Roche's Boniva and Reclast by Novartis.

In the study 8,566 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis were treated with either one or two doses of Fablyn daily, or placebo. Five years on, those who had taken Fablyn had a lower risk of fractures than those who had had the placebo.