Canada Approves Procter & Gamble's Didrocal

Procter & Gamble have been granted approval by the Canadian Health Protection Branch for Didrocal (etidronate/calcium carbonate), a treatment for established post-menopausal osteoporosis. The therapy has now been approved in 15 countries, under various trade names, and marketing approval is currently being sought in Germany, Switzerland, Japan and the USA.

Didrocal treatment takes the form of repeated cycles of the bisphosphonate drug etidronate followed by calcium carbonate, a regimen which the company says has proven efficacy in reversing the loss of bone mineral density and reducing the risk of vertebral fractures.

Don Tassone, a spokesman for the company, said that patients in North America desperately need alternatives to hormone replacement therapy (with estrogen or calcitonin), and that Didrocal meets this need. The drug can increase bone mineral density by 75%-80%, according to clinical trials performed to date. These findings have been confirmed in 1.35 million patient-years of postmarketing experience.