Bone Specialists from Across the World Meet in Dubai to Discuss the Benefits of Protelos, a Novel Treatment for Osteoporotic Women
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Prof. Pierre D. Delmas, Professor of Medicine and President of the International Osteoporosis Foundation, was in Dubai this week to share his insights on osteoporosis and introduce Protelos (Strontium ranelate) from Les Laboratoires Servier to doctors from across the GCC.
The meeting was chaired by Prof. Abdel Rahim Al Suhaili, President of the Pan Arab Osteoporosis Society, with the participation of Prof. Pierre Marie, Director of Research at the Centre National de Recherche Scientifique in Paris; and Prof. Ghassan Maalouf, Professor of Clinical Orthopedics and Head of Department, St. George's University Hospital, Beirut, and President of the Lebanese Osteoporosis Prevention Society.
Currently, one in four women living in the Gulf suffers from osteoporosis, a debilitating, chronic condition in which feeble bone structure in typically post-menopausal women can lead to vertebral (back) and hip fractures, the latter being the most serious as there is an increased risk of mortality within the first year after the fracture1. Other complications include back pain and height loss.
"Gulf women should talk with their doctors now about osteoporosis, not wait until they have fallen and broken bones. There are several safe and effective preventative measures available to address the issue of osteoporosis," said Dr Hussein Saadi, Associate Professor of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain.
"Osteoporosis touches a big percentage of Arab women due mainly to the lower bone mineral density (BMD) seen in this population as compared to Western women. Vitamin D deficiency is at the origin of this finding," continued Dr Saadi.
Women most at risk are those who are post-menopausal combined with one or more of the following characteristics: a family history of osteoporosis, a previous fracture, the taking of cortisone for chronic pain, or cigarette smoking.
Other medical histories which correlate highly with osteoporosis are sickle cell anemia and thyroid gland and colon diseases.
"In Bahrain, where 20% of our people have sickle cell anemia, the incidence of osteoporosis among post-menopausal women is as high as 50%," said Dr Jamal Saleh, Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon and President of the Bahrain Osteoporosis Society.
What's needed, says Dr. Saleh, is that patients eat well and exercise long into their adult lives.
Prof. Ghassan Maalouf insisted in his talk on the importance of diagnosing osteoporosis early and preventing the first fracture.
Prof. Pierre Marie introduced the novel approach that Protelos brings to the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Protelos is the first and only treatment with a dual action on osteoporosis, simultaneously decreasing bone loss that occurs in postmenopausal women while increasing the building of new and strong bone.
In a New England Journal of Medicine study, doctors presented findings to support the positive effects of Protelos (Strontium ranelate) in significantly reducing the risk of vertebral fractures in women with post-menopausal osteoporosis. Protelos has also been proven to reduce the risk of hip fracture.
"Thanks to its dual mode of action, patients taking Protelos are far less likely to suffer from fractures, whatever the severity of their disease," said Prof. Delmas.
After being approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMEA), Protelos has been approved for use in Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates and is available immediately in pharmacies.
1 Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
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© Press Release 2005
