Investigational treatments Several medications are currently under investigation and may someday expand the treatment options available to patients. These include new forms of bisphosphonates, additional SERMs, Strontium Ranelate, Osteoprotogerin, and many other small proteins that appear to stimulate bone. Health Tips from Dr. Healy: Video: What you need to know about arthritis pain medication Choose another disease or condition... Allergic Rhinitis Allergies, Food Allergy & Asthma Center Alzheimer's Disease Anxiety Aortic Aneurysms Arrhythmia Arthritis, Osteo- (OA) Arthritis, Rheumatoid (RA) Asthma Atopic Dermatitis Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Back Pain Brain Tumor Bones, Joints & Muscles Center Breast Cancer Brain & Behavior Center Brain Tumor Cancer Center    Brain Tumor    Breast Cancer    Cancer Prevention    Clinical Trials    Colorectal Cancer    Endometrial Cancer    Living With and Beyond Cancer    Lung Cancer    Prostate Cancer    Skin Cancer Cardiomyopathy Cataracts Cholesterol Control Clinical Trials Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Colorectal Cancer Congenital Heart Disease Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Crohn's Disease Depression Diabetes Center Diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Digestive Disorders Center Eczema Endometrial Cancer Erectile Dysfunction (ED) Eye & Vision Center Fibromyalgia Food Allergies Gallstone Disease Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) GERD Glaucoma Hay Fever Headache Heart Center Hepatitis A Hepatitis B Hepatitis C High Blood Pressure Hypertension Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Impotence Insomnia Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Living With and Beyond Cancer Losing Weight Lung Cancer Macular Degeneration Memory Loss Osteoarthritis (OA) Osteoporosis Parkinson's Disease Peptic Ulcer Prediabetes Prostate Cancer Respiratory Disorders Center Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Sexual & Reproductive Health Center Sinusitis Skin Cancer Sleep Apnea Sleep Center Stroke Type 1 Diabetes Type 2 Diabetes Ulcerative Colitis (UC) Weight Control See the top online resources for information about bones, joints &, muscles More about osteoporosis Osteoporosis Clinical Trials-Related Information Email this page Print this section

A new bisphosphonate under investigation is zoledronic acid (Zometa). Instead of taking a daily or weekly pill, people may one day receive a single intravenous (in a vein) dose of medicine once a year to treat osteoporosis. Currently available for the treatment of a calcium disorder associated with cancer, Zometa must be shown to reduce the incidence of bone fractures before the Food and Drug Administration will approve it for general use in treating osteoporosis. Studies are currently underway. Early data show that after one infusion, bone density increased at 12 months, and bone turnover decreased for 12 months in postmenopausal women.