Learn how Forteo works

How FORTEO (teriparatide [rDNA origin] injection) works

FORTEO is a medicine that helps build new bone. FORTEO is similar to part of a protein your body naturally produces. FORTEO also helps increase bone strength.*

*Only proven in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.

Help build new bone with FORTEO

FORTEO helps reinforce bone in two ways:

  • Replaces bone you’ve lost due to osteoporosis
  • Adds more bone than what you had before treatment
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Here is some important safety information you should know about FORTEO:

Possible bone cancer. During drug testing, the medicine in FORTEO caused some rats to develop a bone cancer called osteosarcoma. In people, osteosarcoma is a serious but rare cancer. Osteosarcoma has rarely been reported in people who took FORTEO. It is not known if people who take FORTEO have a higher chance of getting osteosarcoma. Before you take FORTEO, you should tell your healthcare provider if you have Paget’s disease of bone, are a child or young adult whose bones are still growing, or have had radiation therapy.

See the difference FORTEO can make

Postmenopausal Woman with Osteoporosis Before FORTEO†
Image of Postmenopausal Woman with Osteoporosis Before FORTEO

This small sample of bone was taken from the upper part of the pelvis (iliac crest) of a postmenopausal patient with osteoporosis and viewed using microscopic imaging technology.

Same Woman After 21 Months of FORTEO Treatment†
Image of same Postmenopausal Woman with Osteoporosis After 21 months of FORTEO treatment

After 21 months of treatment with FORTEO, another sample taken the same patient shows new bone has been formed.

†Bone biopsies were obtained from a subgroup of 51 women who participated in a clinical study of 1,637 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis (of whom 90% had a spine fracture). In the overall study, 541 women took a daily 20-mcg dose of FORTEO and 544 took a placebo for a median time of 19 months and a maximum of 24 months (all women took calcium and vitamin D daily).

Help reduce your risk of a future fracture with FORTEO

In a clinical study of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis who were at high risk for fracture, when taken with calcium and vitamin D, FORTEO‡:

Forteo significantly increased bone mineral density

Significantly increased bone mineral density (BMD) in the spine at 3 months and throughout the treatment period.

Forteo reduced the risk of new spine fractures by approximately 2/3

Reduced the risk of new spine fractures by approximately 2/3 (65% relative risk reduction; 9.3% absolute risk reduction).ǂ

Forteo reduced the risk of new fractures in other bones by half

Reduced the risk of new fractures in other bones by half (53% relative risk reduction; 2.9% absolute risk reduction).ǂ These other bones included the ankle/foot, hip, upper arm, pelvis, ribs, wrist, and others.

ǂIn a clinical study of FORTEO involving 1,637 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis (of whom 90% had a spine fracture), 541 women took a daily 20-mcg dose of FORTEO and 544 took a placebo for a median time of 19 months and a maximum of 24 months. All women took calcium and vitamin D daily.

Here is some important safety information you should know about FORTEO:

You should not take FORTEO for more than 2 years over your lifetime. You should also not take FORTEO if you are allergic to any of its ingredients, as serious allergic reactions can occur.

Indications and Important Safety Information Warning: Potential Risk of Osteosarcoma
Warning: Potential Risk of Osteosarcoma
Indications

FORTEO is a prescription medication used in both men and postmenopausal women with osteoporosis who are at high risk for having broken bones, or fractures. FORTEO is used in both men and women with osteoporosis due to use of glucocorticoid medicines, such as prednisone, for several months, who are at high risk for having broken bones, or fractures. FORTEO can be used by people who have had a fracture related to osteoporosis, or who have several risk factors for fracture, or who cannot use other osteoporosis treatments.

Important Safety Information about FORTEO
What is the most important information I should know about FORTEO?

WARNING: Potential Risk of Osteosarcoma

Possible bone cancer. During drug testing, the medicine in FORTEO caused some rats to develop a bone cancer called osteosarcoma. In people, osteosarcoma is a serious but rare cancer. Osteosarcoma has rarely been reported in people who took FORTEO. It is not known if people who take FORTEO have a higher chance of getting osteosarcoma. Before you take FORTEO, you should tell your healthcare provider if you have Paget’s disease of bone, are a child or young adult whose bones are still growing, or have had radiation therapy.

Who should not take FORTEO?

  • You should not take FORTEO for more than 2 years over your lifetime.
  • Do not use FORTEO if you are allergic to any of the ingredients in FORTEO. Serious allergic reactions have been reported.

What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking FORTEO?

  • Before you take FORTEO, you should tell your healthcare provider if you have a bone disease other than osteoporosis, have cancer in your bones, have trouble injecting yourself and do not have someone who can help you, have or have had kidney stones, have or have had too much calcium in your blood, take medications that contain digoxin (Digoxin, Lanoxicaps, Lanoxin), or have any other medical conditions.
  • You should also tell your healthcare provider, before you take FORTEO, if you are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant. It is not known if FORTEO will harm your unborn baby. If you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed, it is not known if FORTEO passes into your breast milk. You and your healthcare provider should decide if you will take FORTEO or breastfeed. You should not do both.

What are the possible side effects of FORTEO?

  • FORTEO can cause serious side effects including a decrease in blood pressure when you change positions. Some people feel dizzy, get a fast heartbeat, or feel faint right after the first few doses. This usually happens within 4 hours of taking FORTEO and goes away within a few hours. For the first few doses, take your injections of FORTEO in a place where you can sit or lie down right away if you get these symptoms. If your symptoms get worse or do not go away, stop taking FORTEO and call your healthcare provider. FORTEO may also cause increased calcium in your blood. Tell your healthcare provider if you have nausea, vomiting, constipation, low energy, or muscle weakness. These may be signs there is too much calcium in your blood.
  • Common side effects of FORTEO include nausea, joint aches, pain, leg cramps, and injection site reactions including injection site pain, swelling and bruising. These are not all the possible side effects of FORTEO. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of Prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Additional safety information about FORTEO

  • There is a voluntary patient registry for people who take FORTEO. The purpose of the registry is to collect information about the possible risk of osteosarcoma in people who take FORTEO. For information about how to sign up for this patient registry, call 1-866-382-6813 or go to www.forteoregistry.org.
  • The FORTEO delivery device has enough medicine for 28 days. It is set to give a 20-microgram dose of medicine each day. Before you try to inject FORTEO yourself, a healthcare provider should teach you how to use the FORTEO delivery device to give your injection the right way. Inject FORTEO one time each day in your thigh or abdomen (lower stomach area). Do not inject all the medicine in the FORTEO delivery device at any one time. Do not transfer the medicine from the FORTEO delivery device to a syringe. This can result in taking the wrong dose of FORTEO. If you take more FORTEO than prescribed, call your healthcare provider. If you take too much FORTEO, you may have nausea, vomiting, weakness, or dizziness.

How should I store FORTEO?

  • Keep your FORTEO delivery device in the refrigerator between 36°F to 46°F (2°C to 8°C). Do not freeze the FORTEO delivery device. Do not use FORTEO if it has been frozen. Do not use FORTEO after the expiration date printed on the delivery device and packaging. Throw away the FORTEO delivery device after 28 days even if it has medicine in it (see the User Manual).

For more safety information, please see Medication Guide and Full Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning regarding osteosarcoma. See Full User Manual that accompanies the delivery device.

FORTEO is a registered trademark owned or licensed by Eli Lilly & Company, its subsidiaries, or affiliates.
TE Con ISI 09Sep2013

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