FDA Clears Actonel With Calcium

Procter & Gamble (PG Quote) said the Food and Drug Administration approved its Actonel with Calcium for osteoporosis.

P&G said Actonel with Calcium is the first prescription osteoporosis therapy to include calcium. The drug is marketed by the Alliance for Better Bone Health, a collaboration between Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals and Sanofi-Aventis (SNY Quote) unit Aventis Pharmaceuticals.

Actonel with Calcium is a prescription therapy indicated for the prevention and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Actonel with Calcium includes four weeks of therapy. Each week contains seven tablets (one 35 mg once-a-week Actonel tablet and six tablets that each provide 500 mg calcium). This new treatment option comes in light of the recent Surgeon General's Report on Bone Health and Osteoporosis which emphasizes the need for osteoporosis regimens to be simplified and organized, the company said.

On Monday, Procter & Gamble rose 85 cents to $54.40, and Sanofi fell 62 cents to $43.43.