The FDA approved two new drugs, one to treat osteoporosis and one for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), manufactured by Eli Lilly and Company.

The osteoporosis drug, Forteo, is designed to stimulate formation of new bone. It is taken by injection once a day to treat men and postmenopausal women with the disease. Osteoporosis, a bone-thinning disease that is associated with an increased risk of spine, wrist and hip fractures, affects 8 million women and 2 million men in the U.S.

Forteo, generic name teriparatide, was found to increase bone mineral density in postmenopausal women, as well as reduce the risk of spinal fractures by 65 percent, according to research performed by Lilly.

There will be a warning label: Forteo, which is a part of the natural human parathyroid hormone, was found to increase the risk of osteosarcoma, a serious bone cancer, in animal studies. Although no incidence of osteosarcoma was reported in human studies, the possibility could not be ruled out by the FDA.

The other drug, Strattera, will be used to treat the symptoms of ADHD. The treatment is the only attention-deficit drug approved by the FDA that not a stimulant. Therefore, researchers suspect that patients will be less likely to abuse Strattera than other available ADHD drugs.

FDA November 26, 2002 (Forteo) (Strattera)