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Diabetes & Metabolism

Diabetes risk did not clearly differ between osteoporosis drugs

The hazard ratio for type 2 diabetes, comparing risk over time, was 0.93 for romosozumab versus denosumab, with no statistically clear difference.

Paper by Chui-Jia Farn, I-Ching Chiang, Hung-Kuan Yen, +5 more authorsChen-Yu Wang
Figure 1 from Diabetes & Metabolism
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Figure 1. Farn et al.

Our read

Interventions
Studied:
Cohort study of patients with osteoporosis and no prior diabetes, against denosumab users
What changed:
New type 2 diabetes risk did not clearly differ between romosozumab and denosumab (hazard ratio 0.93)
The catch:
Different follow-up lengths could affect how often diabetes was diagnosed in each drug group
In the record:
The 15th paper on romosozumab with results in people; 48 on record in all.
Why it’s aging research:
It bears on staying healthy in midlife and later life.

Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News

Paper
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Patients aged 45 or older with osteoporosis, a condition that weakens bones, and no prior diabetes were compared in a retrospective observational cohort study. Researchers matched 6,581 people who started romosozumab with 6,581 who started denosumab. All began these osteoporosis drugs between 2019 and 2024.

Starting romosozumab was not associated with a statistically significant difference in new type 2 diabetes diagnoses compared with starting denosumab. The range of likely values included no difference. The groups also showed no statistically significant differences in broader diabetes diagnoses, starting diabetes medications, or diabetes defined by laboratory tests. Analyses by calendar year supported the findings.

Why it matters

Osteoporosis is an age-related bone disease. Understanding how its medicines relate to diabetes risk helps assess their effects beyond bone health.

Caveats

Differences between the drug groups may have influenced the results despite matching, and follow-up differed. The findings concern people aged 45 or older with osteoporosis and no prior diabetes.

Where the evidence stands

Romosozumab

Humans: replicated by independent labs. Mice: a single group. Cells and worms or flies: nothing yet.

C, W, M, H: cells, worms or flies, mice, humans. Dark: independent labs found the same change there. Light: one lab or one study. Outline: nothing yet.

Labs are independent when their papers share no last author and no institution.

Against: findings that point the other way from most findings on the same outcome.

No results posted: trials that ended over a year ago with no results on ClinicalTrials.gov and no paper reporting them.

  • 15 independent labs in 3 countries
  • 1 finding against
  • 35 trials, 1 with no results posted
  • Funders: Amgen and 8 more
  • 23 of 35 trials sponsored by its developers

SOST

Cells, mice and humans: a single group. Worms or flies: nothing yet.

C, W, M, H: cells, worms or flies, mice, humans. Dark: independent labs found the same change there. Light: one lab or one study. Outline: nothing yet.

Labs are independent when their papers share no last author and no institution.

Company ties: findings with an author at a company, or from a paper whose competing-interests statement declares ties to one.

Includes the processes named after it and trials of drugs aimed at it.

  • 9 independent labs in 7 countries
  • 23 trials
  • Funders: Amgen and others
  • 3 of 11 findings with company ties
  • 22 of 23 trials sponsored by developers of drugs aimed at it

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