Nitroglycerin is commonly prescribed by physicians to treat angina. Now, a research team, directed by Sunil J. Wimalawansa, MD, director of the Division of Endocrinology at UMDNJ—Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, is testing nitroglycerin’s potential to stop bone-thinning in menopausal women.

"Osteoporosis is a common medical problem and is the cause for broken hips in 95 percent of older women and men," Wimalawansa explains. Nitroglycerin dilates blood vessels and improves circulation. He says that previous studies have found that nitroglycerin may keep the body from reabsorbing bone and thus slow the bone-thinning process.

The three-year study, called "Nitroglycerin as an Option: Value in Early Bone Loss (NOVEL)," is funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. RWJMS is the only site for this trial. Treatment consists of a daily application of Nitro-Bid, manufactured by E. Fougera & Co, a division of Altana Pharmaceuticals, to the most commonly affected areas of the body: the arms, legs and hips. Women between ages 40 and 60–the group being recruited for the study–will use the ointment as well as taking daily doses of calcium and Vitamin D. Results of bone mineral density tests will be compared to those of women simply using calcium and Vitamin D.

"This study is significant because many women cannot tolerate or afford hormone replacement therapy or related medications, such as Fosamax and Actonel," says Wimalawansa. This inexpensive ointment "may provide new hope to many postmenopausal women with little or no side effects."