LONDON, Sept 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Haoma Medica announced a presentation made today at the 2020 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research:
Dr Andrew Pitsillides, Professor of Skeletal Dynamics at the Royal Veterinary College, London presented 'NaQuinate: A Drug that Selectively Synergizes with Mechanical Loading Stimuli In Vivo to Generate Greater Cortical Bone Mass and Architectural Modifications'.
Previous studies have shown NaQuinate, a naphthoquinone carboxylic acid, to protect against reduction in bone quality and quantity occurring in response to ovariectomy in rat and mouse models. In the data presented today using an applied mechanical mouse loading model, NaQuinate synergized the body's normal response to loading (a surrogate for greater weight-bearing exercise) to generate significant increases in cortical bone mass (increased cross sectional area, reductions in cortical porosity) and J-score (predictor of bone strength) compared to loading alone; the combined effect of loading and NaQuinate was much greater than additive. The bone studied here was the tibia in the leg, one of the largest bones in the body and where cortical bone is the core component.
'There are 3 ways to maintain bone quality and strength to resist fracture - stop bone loss, build mass and enhance the topographical changes to optimize and enhance weight-bearing roles. It may be that NaQuinate can achieve a balance of all three to treat osteoporosis and better maintain healthy aging,' said Professor Andrew Pitsillides, presenting author.
NaQuinate as a treatment for post-menopausal women with osteoporosis is an investigational product, currently in Phase I clinical trials and its safety and efficacy have not been established.
About osteoporosis and cortical bone
Cortical bone is the dense outer shell of bone that forms a protective layer around the internal cavity. It is imperative to body structure and weight bearing because of its high resistance to bending and twisting.
Osteoporosis is a silent disease often not presenting with any symptoms until a fracture occurs. It thus remains an underdiagnosed and undertreated disease.
Osteoporosis results in bone loss and changes in bone quality and strength that occurs through the normal aging process leading to fragile bones. Fragile bones lead to fractures, which progresses into a downward spiral of disability, loss of independence and increased mortality with considerable social and economic burden. Fragility fractures are therefore a major obstacle to healthy aging. Worldwide there is a fragility fracture every 3 seconds.
According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation about 54 million Americans have osteoporosis with studies suggesting one in two women and one in four men aged 50 and older will have a fragility fracture (or low impact fracture often occurring from a minor bump or fall from standing height) within their life.
About Haoma Medica
Haoma Medica Ltd is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development of therapeutics to maintain bone and vascular health.
For more information, please visit www.haomamedica.com
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