Medtronic's Interventional Spine division has signed a three-year agreement to promote Amgen's Prolia (denosumab) to orthopedic and spine specialists in the US.
Prolia is approved in the US to treat postmenopausal women with osteoporosis at high risk for fracture and to increase bone mass in men with osteoporosis at high risk for fracture.
Administered as a single subcutaneous injection of 60mg once every six months, Prolia is the first approved therapy that specifically targets an essential regulator of osteoclasts, RANK Ligand.
Amgen bone health vice president and general manager said Marion McCourt said, "This partnership allows us to intervene shortly after an osteoporosis-related fracture has occurred, and encourage therapeutic intervention to help reduce the risk of a subsequent fracture."
Financial details of the deal have not been disclosed.
Medtronic Spine senior vice president and president Doug King said, "This new agreement increases awareness and access to our current base of orthopedic and spine physicians already treating patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures."