2012-09-30 16:18:07 - A condition plagued by low diagnosis and treatment rates, low compliance, and the side effects of the key bisphosphonate class

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), osteoporosis is defined as a systemic skeletal disease characterized by low bone mass and microarchitectural deterioration of bone tissue, with a consequent increase in bone fragility and susceptibility to fracture.

Scope
* Datamonitor's comprehensive treatment algorithms includes latest primary research showing physician-reported presentation and diagnosis rates.
* Gain insight into the most commonly used treatments across osteoporosis subgroups and find out how prescription habits differ between countries.
* Understand factors influencing prescribing habits in each market and read about unmet clinical needs.

Highlights

With an increasingly aging population, bone loss and associated fragility fractures become progressively more important for healthcare providers and society; bone loss as the

cause of fragility fractures is a modifiable risk. The market for anti-osteoporotic drugs is therefore growing and becoming more attractive.


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Disease awareness is relatively low and may negatively affect presentation rates. Improving awareness could achieve increased presentation and therefore diagnosis rates, a way of growing the market faster.

Diagnoses are mostly based on primary assessment from general practitioners, combined with the use of additional diagnostic techniques such as bone densitometry. Referrals to specialists occur in less than a third of cases for patients in first-line therapy.

Reasons to Get this Report
* What are the presentation and diagnosis rates in osteoporosis for each of the seven major markets?
* Which drugs are most commonly prescribed for each of the three osteoporosis severities and what factors influence physician prescribing decisions?
* What usually causes therapy changes and to what extent do osteoporosis patients get referred on to specialists?
* What are the highest priority needs in the osteoporosis market?

Partial Table of Contents:

OVERVIEW

* Catalyst
* Summary

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

* Strategic scoping and focus
* Datamonitor key findings
* Related reports

TREATMENT TREES AND PATIENT PROFILES

* Methodology
* Patient profiles: seven major markets
* Treatment trees: seven major markets

DISEASE DEFINITION AND DIAGNOSIS

* Disease definition
* Etiology

PATIENT SEGMENTATION, PRESENTATION, AND DIAGNOSIS

* BMD measurements are not always sufficient to predict fracture risk
* Severity

* Diagnosed osteopenia cases outweigh osteoporosis cases by far

* Presentation and diagnosis

* More women than men present to a physician for a potential diagnosis of osteoporosis, reflecting higher disease prevalence in females
* Diagnosis rates differ somewhat across the seven major markets
* There is much scope for improvement in raising awareness about osteoporosis
* Osteoporosis may be underdiagnosed and undertreated in many countries due to its asymptomatic nature
* Fragility fractures and associated co-morbidities are responsible for the socioeconomic burden that osteoporosis causes
* Nearly a quarter of osteopenia and osteoporosis diagnoses are made without the use of DXA scanning
* Patients in first and second-line therapy are predominantly treated by primary care physicians, while referrals are frequent after second-line treatment failure

* Treatment rates

* Pharmacological treatment makes up the bulk of osteoporosis therapy at any severity
* Compliance with anti-osteoporotic treatment regimens is relatively poor

CURRENT TREATMENT OPTIONS

* Pharmacological vs non-pharmacological
* Overview of the available drug classes

* Novel treatment classes currently in clinical trials

* Prescribing trends

* Usage of calcium and vitamin D declines with disease progression
* Calcitonin may soon no longer be recommended for the ongoing treatment of osteoporosis
* Alendronate remains the most commonly prescribed drug in osteoporosis therapy

* Changes in therapy

* Atypical fractures, osteonecrosis of the jaw, and gastric reflux are equally important reasons to switch patients away from bisphosphonate therapy

PRESCRIBING INFLUENCES AND UNMET NEEDS

* Prescribing influences

* Efficacy on fracture risk reduction is the most important attribute when a treatment is prescribed

* Treatment outcomes: unmet needs

* Increased efficacy in preventing hip fractures ranks highest among unmet needs according to physicians

BIBLIOGRAPHY

* Journal papers
* Websites
* Datamonitor reports

APPENDIX

* Physician data
* Survey questionnaire
* Conferences attended

TABLES

* Table: Comparison of assessment methods and referral rates between primary care physicians and specialists across the seven major markets, 2012
* Table: Percentage of patients referred to a specialist by a primary care physician: from first to second line of treatment and second to third line of treatment, across the seven major markets, 2012
*

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About Datamonitor

The Datamonitor Group is a world-leading provider of premium global business information, delivering independent data, analysis and opinion across the Automotive, Consumer Markets, Energy & Utilities, Financial Services, Logistics & Express, Pharmaceutical & Healthcare, Retail, Technology and Telecoms industries. Datamonitor's market intelligence products and services ensure that you will achieve your desired commercial goals by giving you the insight you need to best respond to your competitive environment. View more research from Datamonitor at www.fastmr.com/catalog/publishers.aspx?pubid=1002

About Fast Market Research

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