Researchers are seeking a treatment and thereby finding a drug which can prevent the further breaking of the bones of patients suffering from osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). Jimmy Fox is one of them though he is not suffering from that disease he still wants to be part of the team in finding the drug against this genetic disease otherwise called as brittle bone disorder. Still, Fox, who owns a busy combination grocery store-gun shop in Cloverdale, Ore., is eager to participate in an Oregon Health & Science University-led study of a drug that may help reduce the debilitating effects of OI, an inherited disorder characterized by weak bones that break easily.
People with the most severe forms of OI have short stature, can suffer hundreds if not thousands of fractures in a lifetime, and are confined to a wheelchair. ‘I didn't think it could do me any harm,’ Fox, 40, said of the study. He has a less-severe form of OI, allowing him to be more mobile - he walks on his hands when he's not in his wheelchair - and suffer fewer fractures than many others with the disorder. Fox had both of his legs amputated when he was 18 due to continued fracturing. "The study might do me some good, so I thought I might as well do it and give it a try. It will help other people." The alternative is unacceptable to Fox, who acknowledges that his significant upper-body strength has kept many of the disorder's most debilitating effects at bay. ‘They told me 'If you weren't as active as you are, you would be totally screwed up by now.' To be honest, that's what really swayed me to do this.’The study, headed by Eric Orwoll, M.D., professor of medicine (endocrinology, diabetes and clinical nutrition) and director of the Bone and Mineral Unit, OHSU School of Medicine, is examining the effectiveness of the synthesized parathyroid hormone, teriparatide, in increasing bone mass and improving bone structure in adults affected by OI. Teriparatide, derived from the human parathyroid gland, is manufactured and sold by Eli Lilly and Co. under the brand name FORTEO. FORTEO already is approved for use by men and postmenopausal women with osteoporosis who are at high risk for having fractures, according to Lilly's Web site. ‘It gives a lot of hope to a lot of people who wouldn't have much to look forward to,’ Orwoll said.
