Roche Diagnostics offers one of the most complete ranges of tests for osteoporosis that can be performed on a single serum work area platform. As concerns are raised about the limited use of more expensive treatments for osteoporosis¹, this comprehensive range of Elecsys® bone marker assays provides valuable information for the diagnostic and prognostic assessment of bone metabolism in patients with, or at risk of, osteoporosis and other bone diseases, in addition to providing an early indication of response and adherence to treatment.

According to the National Osteoporosis Society, one in 2 women and one in 5 men over the age of 50 will suffer a bone fracture, the main cause of which is osteoporosis². Among the most commonly used treatments for osteoporosis are the bisphosphonates. Although this group of drugs can be highly effective, gastric side effects and a complex treatment regimen can result in poor adherence. Alternative treatments, such as anabolic therapies, are more expensive, and so are less likely to be prescribed as a first choice.

The traditional method for measuring response to treatment, bone mass densitometry (BMD), can take up to two years to demonstrate improvement to bone density. The availability of the Roche Elecsys® range of bone marker, hormone and bone mineral assays on a single serum work area allows response to treatment and patient compliance to be monitored at an earlier stage (as early as 3-6 months after initiation of treatment) and throughout the course of treatment, encouraging adherence to treatment and providing medical staff with valuable information about the effectiveness of the treatment in use.

The comprehensive range of osteoporosis tests available from Roche for use with cobas® or MODULAR Analytics serum work areas include the Elecsys® bone marker assays (ß-CrossLaps, total PINP, N-Mid Osteocalcin and vitamin D3-OH), the Elecsys® hormone assays (parathormone, oestradiol, testosterone, DHEA and SHBG) and bone mineral assays (calcium and phosphate).

For further information about how these assays are used in the diagnostic and prognostic evaluation of bone metabolism, or in monitoring response and adherence to treatment, contact the Centralised Diagnostics Team on 01444 256750 or visit the Roche website at www.roche-diagnostics.co.uk.

References:
^1. BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour, 3 March 2009.
^2. www.nos.org.uk

About Roche
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world's leading research-focused healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. As the world's biggest biotech company and an innovator of products and services for the early detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts to improving people's health and quality of life. Roche is the world leader in in-vitro diagnostics and drugs for cancer and transplantation, and is a market leader in virology. It is also active in other major therapeutic areas such as autoimmune diseases, inflammatory and metabolic disorders and diseases of the central nervous system. In 2008 sales by the Pharmaceuticals Division totalled 36.0 billion Swiss francs, and the Diagnostics Division posted sales of 9.7 billion francs. Roche has R&D agreements and strategic alliances with numerous partners, including majority ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai, and invested nearly 9 billion Swiss francs in R&D in 2008. Worldwide, the Group employs about 80,000 people. Additional information is available on the Internet at www.roche.com.