Metabolic Studies with Porcine Calcitonin in Osteoporosis

Abstract

This investigation was undertaken to assess the effect of porcine calcitonin on the available indices of bone metabolism in blood and excreta of patients with osteoporosis. No consistent changes were observed in 4 patients following a single intramuscular injection of calcitonin. An intravenous infusion of calcitonin in 2 patients resulted in a slight fall in serum calcium concentration and in a marked phosphaturia. Four patients were studied for periods of 13, 30, 32 and 105 days each during the administration of calcitonin. This was given in 4 individual intramuscular doses totalling from 40 to 160 M.R.C. units daily. Complete balance studies on calcium, phosphorus and nitrogen were undertaken for the early stages of treatment, but no clear evidence of a response was observed. The results suggest that under these conditions porcine calcitonin may have little value in the management of osteoporosis.