Health Vidya

Calcitonin-Salmon Nasal Spray is indicated for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis in females greater than 5 years postmenopause with low bone mass relative to healthy premenopausal females. Calcitonin-Salmon Nasal Spray should be reserved for patients who refuse or cannot tolerate estrogens or in whom estrogens are contraindicated. Use of Calcitonin-Salmon Nasal Spray is recommended in conjunction with an adequate calcium (at least 1000 mg elemental calcium per day) and vitamin D (400 I.U. per day) intake to retard the progressive loss of bone mass. The evidence of efficacy is based on increases in spinal bone mineral density observed in clinical trials. Two randomized, placebo controlled trials were conducted in 325 postmenopausal females [227 Calcitonin-Salmon Nasal Spray treated and 98 placebo treated] with spinal, forearm or femoral bone mineral density (BMD) at least one standard deviation below normal for healthy premenopausal females. These studies conducted over two years demonstrated that 200 I.U. daily of Calcitonin-Salmon Nasal Spray increases lumbar vertebral BMD relative to baseline and relative to placebo in osteoporotic females who were greater than 5 years postmenopause. Calcitonin-Salmon Nasal Spray produced statistically significant increases in lumbar vertebral BMD compared to placebo as early as 6 months after initiation of therapy with persistence of this level for up to 2 years of observation. No effects of Calcitonin-Salmon Nasal Spray on cortical bone of the forearm or hip were demonstrated. However, in one study, BMD of the hip showed a statistically significant increase compared with placebo in a region composed of predominantly trabecular bone after 1 year of treatment changing to a trend at 2 years that was no longer statistically significant.