Teriparatide
ForteoRCSB PDB 7Y36 · 3D model
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A lab-made fragment of parathyroid hormone that stimulates the body to build new bone.
How it works
Teriparatide is a manufactured piece of parathyroid hormone, the hormone your body naturally uses to manage calcium and bone. Given as a single daily injection, it creates a brief pulse each time rather than constant exposure. That daily pulse tells bone-building cells to ramp up activity more than bone-removing cells, tipping the balance toward building new bone instead of just slowing bone loss.
What it’s used for
Prescribed for people with osteoporosis at high risk of breaking a bone, including women after menopause, men with low bone density, and men or women whose bone loss was caused by long-term steroid use. Because of a bone-cancer risk seen in animal studies, it's generally used for no more than two years in a person's lifetime.
- Mechanism
- Parathyroid hormone (PTH) receptor agonist
- Drug class
- Peptide analog
- Therapeutic area
- Bone / Metabolic