An already available drug can help patients get back on their feet more rapidly after a hip fracture, according to an international study published in the Journal of Bone Joint Surgery. The results suggest that treatment with the drug accelerates the healing process in broken bones.
"We have shown that patients are more mobile and suffer less pain after a hip fracture when they receive this treatment," says Per Aspenberg, professor of orthopaedics at Linköping University in Sweden, and principal author of the study.
The drug tested by the researchers, teriparatide, is based on a naturally occurring hormone, parathyroid hormone (PTH).
