Osteoporosis weakens bones to the point where they fracture easily, often in the spine, hip, or wrist. It affects about 10 million Americans, mostly women after menopause. Current treatments include bisphosphonates like alendronate, denosumab injections, and newer bone-building drugs like romosozumab and abaloparatide.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing drugs that build bone faster or prevent loss more completely, including modified versions of parathyroid hormone and sclerostin inhibitors. Researchers are studying how to identify fracture risk earlier, whether existing drugs work better in combination, and treatments that might rebuild bone density in people who've already fractured.
Bone-building agents
Newer drugs like romosozumab block sclerostin, a protein that limits bone formation. Trials are testing whether these drugs reduce fractures more than older medications, and whether combining them with other treatments works better.
Fracture prevention strategies
Studies are looking at whether treating people at moderate fracture risk prevents breaks before they happen. This includes testing combinations of bone-building drugs followed by drugs that maintain density.
Biomarker research
Researchers are working to identify which people will fracture before their bone density scans look severe. Blood tests measuring bone turnover may help predict who needs aggressive treatment.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on bone density scores, history of fractures, age, menopause status for women, and prior osteoporosis treatments.
What types of trials are currently open
- Treatment trials — Testing new osteoporosis drugs or comparing existing ones to see which best prevents fractures or builds bone density.
- Combination therapy trials — Testing whether using two drugs together—often a bone-builder followed by a drug that preserves density—works better than single treatments.
- Prevention trials — Enrolling people with low bone density but no fractures yet, to see if early treatment prevents breaks.
- Post-fracture trials — Testing treatments in people who've already broken a bone, when fracture risk is highest.
- Observational studies — Following people on osteoporosis treatment to learn which factors predict fractures and treatment response.
Recently added Osteoporosis trials
Donate blood samples to help researchers understand hormonal changes
Hormones are chemical messengers that help regulate many functions in the body. As women go through menopause, and as men age, levels of certain reproductive hormones change significantly. One of these hormones, luteinizing hormone (LH), increases substantially after menopause and may also rise in some men. Another hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), is best known as the hormone of pregnancy, but small amounts can also be detected in some postmenopausal women and older men. Recent research suggests that LH and hCG may have effects beyond reproduction. These hormones may influence bone health, body weight, kidney function, thyroid function, and adrenal gland function. However, little is known about their importance in patients with endocrine disorders. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether blood levels of LH and hCG are associated with the presence, severity, and long-term outcomes of endocrine diseases. The study will include adult patients undergoing evaluation for hormonal disorders. Blood samples will be analyzed for LH, hCG, and other relevant hormones and biomarkers. Participants will also be followed through national health registries to examine whether these hormone levels are associated with future health outcomes. The results of this study may improve our understanding of how LH and hCG affect the body and help determine whether these hormones can be used as biomarkers to improve the diagnosis and management of endocrine diseases.
Take a bone-building injection to strengthen bones weakened by breast cancer
The researchers are doing this study to see if romosozumab is effective at helping with bone formation in people with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) that has spread to the bones. All participants will have osteoporosis. The researchers will also look at bone breakdown (resorption) in participants and determine if romosozumab is a safe treatment for osteoporosis in people with MBC that has spread to the bones.
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