Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a disease where the density and quality of bone are reduced, making bones fragile and increasing the risk of fracture.¹ A normal part of ageing is losing bone at a greater rate than the rate at which new bone grows. However, some people lose bone at a much faster rate than normal, which can lead to osteoporosis.¹

Osteoporosis affects almost four million people in the UK and leads to approximately 520,000 fragility fractures each year.² The condition disproportionately impacts postmenopausal women, who have a 50% chance of sustaining an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime.³

Osteoporosis is often an asymptomatic ‘silent’ disease and many people aren’t aware they have it until they have broken a bone.⁴ As a result, it is underdiagnosed and often goes untreated.⁵

Osteoporotic fractures can affect multiple parts of the body, including the hip and vertebra in the spine, and can be life-altering events that cause substantial pain and loss of mobility leading to a reduced quality of life.⁵

At UCB, we are working to improve lives and reduce the significant social and individual burden of osteoporosis by: 

Improving the fracture care pathway

• We have facilitated the establishment of the Fracture Liaison service Database, in partnership with the National Clinical Programme for Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery (NCPTOS), Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) and Trauma Care Ireland 
• We believe in collaborative working projects which deliver real results for the NHS and patients, which is why we work with Open Medical to optimise the number of fracture patients identified to fracture Liaison Services (FLS) 

Facilitating best practice sharing amongst nurses

• We have launched the Bone Health Nurse Forum and online platform specifically designed for bone health nurses 

Making osteoporosis a priority 

• As supporters of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Osteoporosis, we are supporting the Royal Osteoporosis Society and parliamentarians to ensure osteoporosis becomes a priority for policy makers and health systems

To learn more about osteoporosis, head to the Royal Osteoporosis Society.

If you’re a healthcare professional and want to learn more about UCB in osteoporosis, head to UCBCares for Osteoporosis.

To learn more about how we are collaboratively working with the NHS on projects to deliver real results for Osteoporosis patients, head to our Partnerships page.

Partnerships

_{1 NHS. Osteoporosis. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/osteoporosis/ Last accessed: December 2024.}

_{2 International Osteoporosis Foundation. Key statistics for Europe. Available at: https://www.osteoporosis.foundation/facts-statistics/key-statistic-for-europe. Last accessed: December 2024.}

_{3 Edwards BJ, et al. Prior fractures are common in patients with subsequent hip fractures. Clin Orthop Rel Res. 2007; 461: 226–230.}

_{4 National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. Osteoporosis. Available at: https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/osteoporosis. Last accessed: December 2024.}

_{5 International Osteoporosis Foundation. Epidemiology of Osteoporosis and Fragility Fractures. Available at: https://www.osteoporosis.foundation/facts-statistics/epidemiology-of-osteoporosis-and-fragility-fractures. Last accessed: December 2024.}

IE-DA-2400187 | December 2024