Denosumab Wins Drug Award

At the 6th Annual Scrip Awards, featuring more than 500 representatives from the pharmaceutical industry, Amgen received the Best New Drug award for denosumab, the first approved inhibitor of RANK ligand. The Scrip honor, announced at a London gala on November 4, recognized the use of denosumab under the brand name Prolia, an approved treatment for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women with a high risk of fracture. Later in November, the FDA approved denosumab (Xgeva) for the prevention of skeletal-related events in patients with bone metastases from solid tumors. The European Union has already approved denosumab for certain men with prostate cancer who are suffering from bone loss that is related to hormone ablation.