Thousand Oaks-based biotech giant Amgen and Brussels, Belgium-based UCB announced positive results in a Phase 3 trial of romosozumab, an antibody designed to treat osteoporosis.

The drug works by inhibiting a protein which results in increased bone formation and decreased bone breakdown. However, the drug is not approved by any regulatory authority for use to treat osteoporosis.

UCB and Amgen have developed the drug since 2002 in a partnership. The study involved 245 men taking 210 mg of romosozumab or a placebo per month for one year.

“These positive results … add to our growing body of Phase 3 data demonstrating romosozumab’s potential to build bone strength and to decrease fracture risk and thus help fill an unmet need for patients with osteoporosis,” said UCB chief medical officer Iris Loew-Friedrich.

• Contact Philip Joens at pjoens@pacbiztimes.com.