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Important Safety Information

WARNING: POTENTIAL RISK OF OSTEOSARCOMA

In male and female rats, teriparatide caused an increase in the incidence of osteosarcoma (a malignant bone tumor) that was dependent on dose and treatment duration. The effect was observed at systemic exposures to teriparatide ranging from 3 to 60 times the exposure in humans given a 20 mcg dose. Because of the uncertain relevance of the rat osteosarcoma finding to humans, prescribe FORTEO® (teriparatide [rDNA origin] injection) only for patients for whom the potential benefits are considered to outweigh the potential risk. FORTEO should not be prescribed for patients who are at increased baseline risk for osteosarcoma (including those with Paget's disease of bone or unexplained elevations of alkaline phosphatase, pediatric and young adult patients with open epiphyses, or prior external beam or implant radiation therapy involving the skeleton).

CONTRAINDICATIONS

Hypersensitivity to teriparatide or to any of its excipients. Reactions have included angioedema and anaphylaxis.

WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS

The following categories of patients have increased baseline risk of osteosarcoma and therefore should not be treated with FORTEO: Paget's disease of bone, pediatric populations and young adults with open epiphyses, or prior external beam or implant radiation therapy.

Patients should be encouraged to enroll in the voluntary FORTEO Patient Registry, which is designed to collect information about any potential risk of osteosarcoma in patients who have taken FORTEO. Enrollment information can be obtained by calling 1-866-382-6813, or by visiting www.forteoregistry.rti.org.

Osteosarcoma occurs in about 4 out of every million older adults each year. Cases of bone tumor and osteosarcoma have been reported rarely in people taking FORTEO in the post-marketing period. The causality to FORTEO use is unclear.

Use of FORTEO for more than 2 years during a patient's lifetime is not recommended.

Patients with the following conditions also should not receive FORTEO: bone metastases or a history of skeletal malignancies, metabolic bone diseases other than osteoporosis, or hypercalcemic disorders.

FORTEO may increase serum calcium, urinary calcium, and serum uric acid.

Use with caution in patients with active or recent urolithiasis because of risk of exacerbation. If active urolithiasis or pre-existing hypercalciuria are suspected, measurement of urinary calcium excretion should be considered.

Transient orthostatic hypotension may occur with initial doses of FORTEO. In short-term clinical pharmacology studies, transient episodes of symptomatic orthostatic hypotension were observed in 5% of patients. FORTEO should be administered initially under circumstances where the patient can sit or lie down if symptoms of orthostatic hypotension occur.

Patients receiving digoxin should use FORTEO with caution because FORTEO may transiently increase serum calcium and hypercalcemia may predispose patients to digitalis toxicity.

FORTEO should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus. Based on animal studies, FORTEO may cause fetal harm.

It is not known whether teriparatide is excreted in human milk. Breastfeeding mothers should discontinue nursing or FORTEO, taking into account the importance of treatment to the mother.

ADVERSE REACTIONS

The most common adverse reactions in clinical trials include: arthralgia (10.1 FORTEO vs. 8.4 placebo), pain (21.3 FORTEO vs. 20.5 placebo), and nausea (8.5 FORTEO vs. 6.7 placebo). Other adverse reactions include: dizziness, leg cramps, joint aches, and injection site reactions.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR FORTEO USE

FORTEO is provided as a fixed-dose, prefilled delivery device that can be used for up to 28 days, including the first injection. The delivery device contains 28 daily doses of 20 mcg each. Do not transfer the contents of the delivery device into a syringe. The FORTEO Delivery Device should be stored under refrigeration at 36° to 46° F (2° to 8° C) at all times. Do not use FORTEO if it has been frozen.

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