FDA: Salmon Calcitonin May Cause Higher Risk of Cancer

A salmon hormone that's used to treat osteoporosis may not have enough benefits to outweigh the risk of cancer. The Food and Drug Administration has announced that drugs that contain calcitonin salmon may increase the potential for cancer in patients.

Calcitonin salmon is a man-made version of the hormone calcitonin that is found in salmon. It's usually used to treat postmenopausal osteoporosis in women, and can be delivered to the patient in a variety of ways.

Osteoporosis is a disease that causes bones to become weak and brittle--so much so that even mild stresses like bending over or coughing can cause a fracture. These types of fractures commonly occur in the hip, wrist or spine. The disease itself can affect men and women of all races, but white and Asian women who are past menopause are at a higher risk for developing it.

Three studies were conducted on oral, injectable and nasal calcitonin. All of them were salmon formulations that were sold by Novartis AG (NOVN), Upsher-Smith Laboratories Inc. and other companies. Yet the studies showed unreliable and disappointing results. Now, the FDA has announced that additional research showed that the cancer risk associated with these drugs appears plausible.

Currently, FDA advisers plan to meet next week in order to decide whether the risks of the salmon calcitonin mean that they should recommend sales of drugs containing the ingredient be discontinued in the U.S. 

They're a bit behind the times, though. Last year, the European Medicines Agency recommended that calcitonin-containing medicines shouldn't be used to treat osteoporosis. Instead, they suggested that they should only be authorized for the short-term use in Paget's disease, a bone disorder, or for acute bone loss due to sudden immobilization. It should also be used for an excess amount of calcium found in the blood due to cancer.