The osteoporosis research team at Helen Hayes Hospital, West Haverstraw, NY, has received a 5-year, $2.1 million research grant to fund a study evaluating the use of the medication Teriparatide to aid healing of pelvic fracture.
The National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal & Skin Diseases (NIAMS), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), awarded the grant, which will fund the clinical trial to determine whether Teriparatide can heal pelvic fractures faster than a placebo.
A total of 100 men and women over 65 years of age, with acute osteoporosis-related pelvic fractures, will be enrolled in the study. Their healing will be evaluated via CT scans, pain assessment, and by measuring the ability to perform various physical activities.
The study’s principal investigator is Jeri W. Nieves, PhD, an epidemiologist and osteoporosis specialist at Helen Hayes Hospital’s Clinical Research Center. She will be collaborating with researchers at the Hospital for Special Surgery and Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York.
“Pelvic fractures consume substantial healthcare resources and based on administrative claims data, they are one of the most costly osteoporosis related fractures,” Nieves explains in a media release.
“With aging of the population, and expected concomitant increase in the incidence of pelvic fractures, there is a urgent need to find effective treatments that will accelerate healing, which would ultimately lead to improved care and reduced costs from pelvic fractures,” she adds.
[Source: Helen Hayes Hospital]
