FORTICAL SUMMARY
FORTICAL®
calcitonin-salmon
(rDNA origin)
Nasal Spray
Calcitonin is a polypeptide hormone secreted by the parafollicular cells of the thyroid gland in mammals and by the ultimobranchial gland of birds and fish. The active ingredient in FORTICAL® calcitonin-salmon (rDNA origin) Nasal Spray is a polypeptide of 32 amino acids manufactured by recombinant DNA technology and is identical to calcitonin-salmon produced by chemical synthesis.
Postmenopausal Osteoporosis – FORTICAL® calcitonin-salmon (rDNA origin) Nasal Spray is indicated for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis in women greater than 5 years postmenopause with low bone mass relative to healthy premenopausal women. Use of FORTICAL® calcitonin-salmon (rDNA origin) Nasal Spray is recommended in conjunction with an adequate calcium (at least 1000 mg elemental calcium per day) and Vitamin D (400 International Units per day) intake to retard the progressive loss of bone mass. The evidence of efficacy for calcitonin-salmon is based on increases in spinal bone mineral density (BMD) observed in clinical trials.
Two randomized, placebo-controlled trials were conducted in 325 postmenopausal women (227 treated with calcitonin-salmon nasal spray and 98 treated with placebo) with spinal, forearm or femoral BMD at least one standard deviation below the normal value for healthy premenopausal women. These studies conducted over two years demonstrated that 200 International Units daily of calcitonin-salmon nasal spray increases lumbar vertebral BMD relative to baseline and relative to placebo in osteoporotic women 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.
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