About 10 million people in the United States have osteoporosis, a disease that causes weak and brittle bones — and more than 4 out of 5 of them are women. Roughly half of all women with osteoporosis over the age of 50 will break a bone because of the disease.
A type of medicine called biologics, which are made from living cells and other organisms, can help treat or even prevent osteoporosis. But their high cost may put them out of reach for some women.
Enter biosimilars, which are less expensive alternatives to biologics that work in the same way. By boosting access to osteoporosis care, biosimilars may offer a potential solution to this common health problem.
Understanding osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is sometimes called a “silent disease” because people often don’t realize they have it until they break a bone. A person can go from having osteopenia (some bone loss) to osteoporosis (more serious bone loss) without ever having a single symptom.
Even after a broken bone, osteoporosis might be missed by patients and their healthcare providers (HCP).
“We have a huge undertreatment problem in osteoporosis,” said Mary Bouxsein, Ph.D., a professor of orthopedic surgery at Harvard Medical School whose research focuses on bone health. “Less than 30% of women who have a hip fracture are evaluated and treated for their osteoporosis in the six months after the fracture.”
The menopausal transition is when osteoporosis risk tends to spike, since the loss of protective estrogen speeds up bone loss during this time. But this loss can actually start in our 30s, long before menopause.
The greater your bone density when you hit menopause, the lower your chances of getting osteoporosis. So, taking steps to proactively support your bones early — including exercising, getting plenty of calcium and starting treatments like biosimilars — can help prevent osteoporosis down the line.
Your annual visit to your OB-GYN or other HCP is a good time to bring up bone health, since they can offer guidance and refer you to a specialist if you need one.
“Knowledge is power, so knowing your bone health gives you an advantage out of the gate,” Bouxsein said. “Talking to your doctor about your bone health and getting a bone density test is the number one thing you can do.”
Effects of osteoporosis
In addition to the pain and disruption fractures cause in the short term, fractures caused by osteoporosis can have lasting consequences on a person’s overall health and quality of life.
One in four people who break a hip aren’t able to live independently and need to live in a care facility. And people who have lower bone density are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease.
Osteoporosis affects mental health, too. In fact, one study of more than 11,000 people with osteoporosis found they were almost twice as likely to have depression as people without the bone disease.
Women who are also caregivers may be particularly vulnerable to the health challenges of osteoporosis, since they are often so focused on taking care of others that they neglect their own health.
Zooming out to look at the broader impact of osteoporosis, this disease puts a heavy burden on the economy. In the United States, osteoporosis causes 2 million broken bones — and $19 billion in related costs — every year. A 2019 report by the National Osteoporosis Foundation found osteoporosis-related bone fractures were responsible for more hospitalizations than heart attacks, strokes and breast cancer combined.
Why biosimilars for osteoporosis matter
Biosimilars have the ability to make it possible for people to afford treatments that otherwise would be out of reach. According to the Association for Accessible Medicines, patients and the healthcare system have saved nearly $36 billion since the first biosimilar became available in 2015. And those savings have led to expanded treatment options for many diseases.
One study estimated that introducing biosimilars into clinical practice could save the United States health system $54 billion by 2026.
Recognizing the potential for these medicines to help people across the globe, the World Health Organization (WHO) endorses several biosimilars as safe and affordable alternatives to biologics. By breaking down financial barriers, biosimilars can help women all over the world — including those who are underserved — get the medicines they need.
Because of biosimilars, a woman dealing with bone loss may be better able to afford medicines that keep the problem from getting worse, and a woman who already has osteoporosis may have access to more treatments.
“There’s a lot of market that’s untapped and a lot of patients who are untreated,” Bouxsein said. “So I think there’s huge potential for affordability and increasing access.”
Making bone health a priority
It’s never too early (or too late!) to start taking good care of your bones. “I think there’s misinformation that once you’ve had a fracture it’s too late, and that’s totally not true,” Bouxsein said. “All of our clinical trials enrolled patients with fractures and were still able to prevent subsequent fractures, so it’s never really too late to consider treatment for bone health.”
In addition to sticking to good habits like moving your body regularly and eating plenty of calcium-rich foods, you can proactively protect yourself from osteoporosis by asking your HCP if medicines like biosimilars might be a helpful addition to your bone health care plan.
For caregivers, you can support the bone health of your loved ones by advocating for them and helping them access regular screenings, consistent care and affordable treatment options.
Osteoporosis shouldn’t be taken lightly — particularly by women over 50 — but it’s not a given that you’ll get it. “Osteoporosis is highly preventable and highly treatable,” Bouxsein said. By prioritizing bone health before weakness becomes a problem (and using medicines like biosimilars when it does), you can reduce your risk.
This educational resource was created with support from Organon, a HealthyWomen Corporate Advisory Council member.
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