Novartis Medicine Benefits Osteoporosis Patients, Study Finds

A Novartis AG drug reduced fractures in women with osteoporosis when given once a year, researchers said, pointing to a new market for the product.

Reclast, already used to treat a rare bone disease, will also become the first once-a-year therapy for osteoporosis in the U.S., assuming regulatory approval, according to Novartis.

In osteoporosis, bones are more likely to break or fracture. The condition affects about 10 million Americans, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, based in Washington.