FDA panel partially backs new bone loss drug

An advisory committee for the FDA has recommended that the agency approve denosumab for the treatment of bone loss in patients undergoing hormone ablation for prostate cancer and for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. The committee gave the thumbs down, however, for the drug's use to treat or prevent bone loss in women with breast cancer undergoing hormone ablation, saying additional data are needed.The FDA, which typically follows the advice of its committees, will decide whether to approve the drug by mid-October. Check out "Good to the Bone" to find out what's currently available to cancer patients to prevent and treat bone loss.