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calcitonin (Fortical Injection / Forcaltonin)

✓ Approved

Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd. · CALCR · Recombinant Proteins

What is calcitonin?

calcitonin is a recombinant proteins developed by Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd.. It is approved for therapeutic indications via injectable (others) or subcutaneous injection.

Drug Profile

Brand NamesFortical Injection, Forcaltonin
CompanyKyowa Kirin Co., Ltd.
Drug ClassRecombinant Proteins
Molecular TargetCALCR
RouteInjectable (Others), Subcutaneous Injection
StatusApproved
Sources: ClinicalTrials.gov, Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd.

Mechanism of Action

Molecular Targets

calcitonin acts on 1 molecular target:

CALCRcalcitonin receptor (CT-R, CTR)
Want deeper analysis?Noah AI can explain complex mechanisms and compare to similar drugs.

Therapeutic Indications

calcitonin is developed for 3 unique indications across 2 therapeutic areas.

Therapeutic AreaConditionPhase
Endocrine disordersHypercalcaemia of malignancy✓ Approved
Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disordersOsteitis deformans✓ Approved
Musculoskeletal and connective tissue disordersOsteoporosis✓ Approved

Related Research Articles

PubMedInternational journal of nanomedicine2026-09-20

Injectable Hyaluronic Acid-Functionalized Nanocomposite Hydrogel for Targeted Rheumatoid Arthritis Therapy via Concurrent ROS Attenuation and Macrophage Repolarization.

Fan Ziyan Z, Wang Runkong R, Zhang Qiang Q, Wu Mingquan M et al.

The clinical treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic systematic autoimmune disease marked by persistent synovial inflammation and irreversible joint damage, remains substantially challenging due to the limitations of current therapies including insufficient targeting, short intra-articular retention and off-target adverse effects. Therefore, developing an injectable, long-acting and targeted therapeutic hydrogel platform is urgently needed for precise and efficient RA treatment. We developed an injectable long-acting nanocomposite hydrogel platform (HA-BR nano-GEL@CLT) which integrated hyaluronic acid (HA)-polyethylene glycol (PEG) co-polymeric matrix encapsulating HA-bilirubin nanoparticles (HA-BR NPs) and celastrol (CLT). The hydrogel was characterized and its in vitro biocompatibility, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and macrophage polarization effects were evaluated. In vivo therapeutic efficacy and biosafety were assessed in adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) rats. The average particle size of fabricated HA-BR NPs@CLT was 118.5 nm and the gel formulation underwent a rapid sol‑to‑gel phase transition within 200 seconds. HA-BR nano-GEL@CLT exhibited strong biomimetic lubrication, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant capacities, and could effectively modulate the polarization of macrophages in vitro, with the result that the M1/M2 ratio in HA-BR nano-GEL@CLT group was only 0.19-fold that of model group. The hydrogel also provided long-term intra-articular retention up to 21 days in AIA rats. It significantly alleviated paw swelling, inhibited bone erosion, modulated the levels of inflammatory cytokines, whereas the expressions of IL-6 and TNF-α were reduced by 27% and 43%, and the expression of IL-10 was increased by 47%, compared to HA GEL@CLT group. Besides, HA-BR nano-GEL@CLT also alleviated oxidative damage, regulated macrophage polarization and reduced systemic toxicity of CLT in vivo. This injectable nanocomposite hydrogel platform offers an efficient and promising approach to suppress RA progression via ROS attenuation and macrophage repolarization.

PMID 42763682
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PubMedJournal of microbiology, immunology, and infection = Wei mian yu gan ran za zhi2026-09-19

Injectable agents and hearing loss in the treatment of patients with rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis: a nationwide multicenter prospective study.

Lin Chou-Jui CJ, Chiang Chi-Jung CJ, Chien Shun-Tien ST, Huang Yi-Wen YW et al.

Monitoring for hearing loss is an integral component of active tuberculosis drug-safety monitoring and management, enabling the evaluation of injectable drug doses and risk factors associated with treatment-emergent hearing loss. Pure-tone audiometry was performed at baseline and monthly. Brock classification was used to classify the severity of hearing loss. The cumulative doses and body weight standardized cumulative doses was quantified. Cox proportional hazards models were constructed for assessment of factors associated with treatment-emergent hearing loss. Of the 196 patients without severe hearing loss at baseline, 89 (45.4%) had treatment-emergent hearing loss and 46 (23.5%) had treatment-emergent severe hearing loss. In multivariable analysis, aged more than 65 years old (adjHR 13.31, 95% CI 3.78-46.85) and mild hearing loss at baseline (adjHR 2.98, 95% CI 1.12-7.96) were significantly associated with treatment-emergent severe hearing loss. The minimum cumulative doses of injectable agents used was 3.2 g in those without gradable treatment-emergent hearing loss, 11.6 g in those with mild treatment-emergent hearing loss, 32.4 g in those with moderate hearing loss was, and 9.8 g in those with severe hearing loss (Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test, p-value = 1.00); and the minimum body weight standardized cumulative doses were 100, 200, 500, and 100 mg/kg, respectively (Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test: p-value = 0.84). Treatment-emergent hearing loss was common and may occur at relatively low cumulative doses of injectable agents used. Whenever injectables are indicated, it is pivotal for TB programmes to establish robust protocols for monitoring ototoxicity.

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PubMedJournal of pain & palliative care pharmacotherapy2026-09-19

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Suzuki Hiroshi H, Mori Makiko M, Hattori Yusuke Y, Koizumi Akari A et al.

Advanced heart failure (HF) may require complex palliative pharmacotherapy, including continuous home infusion of inotropes, diuretics, and opioids, together with careful management of infusion devices, injectable-drug quality, compatibility, and symptom monitoring. However, practical reports describing community pharmacist involvement in such care remain limited, particularly from the pre-discharge phase. We report a case of end-of-life pharmacotherapy and home infusion for advanced HF supported by an interdisciplinary team. A 76-year-old man with stage D HF and inotrope dependence chose home-based care after repeated hospitalizations for decompensated HF. Before discharge, the community pharmacist contributed to device-operation training, aseptic compounding procedures, cassette-exchange scheduling, and contingency planning for continuous dobutamine infusion. During home care, the pharmacist coordinated cassette preparation and exchange, proposed a lightweight disposable pump for high-dose continuous furosemide infusion, implemented light protection for furosemide, supported lumen separation to avoid incompatibility with dobutamine, and prepared a morphine cassette for continuous subcutaneous infusion. Home infusion was continued until the patient died peacefully at home on Day 45. This case highlights the multifaceted role of community pharmacists in supporting complex palliative pharmacotherapy and home infusion for advanced HF.

PMID 42762225
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PubMedThe Annals of pharmacotherapy2026-09-19

Orforglipron: An Oral GLP-1 Receptor Agonist for Obesity Treatment.

Wietholter Jon P JP, Terpening Chris M CM

To describe the properties of a newly approved oral glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist for the treatment of obesity. A literature search of MEDLINE and SCOPUS was performed without date range exclusions using the search terms orforglipron and obesity. Additional articles were identified from review of clinical trial bibliographies and product monograph. Two phase 1 studies in healthy individuals and in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 4 phase 2/3 clinical trials specifically evaluating orforglipron use for obesity were identified for analysis, using no date exclusion criteria. Orforglipron was evaluated in 4 phase 2/3 trials regarding its efficacy for weight loss. These trials showed a mean 7.1% to 10.6% placebo-adjusted weight reduction with orforglipron. Adverse events seen with its use were primarily gastrointestinal.Relevance to Patient Care and Clinical Practice in Comparison With Existing Drugs:Orforglipron provides an oral weight management option that is potentially more effective than liraglutide, similarly effective compared with semaglutide, and less effective than tirzepatide. As a non-injectable option that does not require strict oral administration parameters, orforglipron has advantages in certain patient populations. Orforglipron is a potentially useful addition for the treatment of obesity, but it still requires additional data on efficacy in treatment of obesity-related comorbidities for full comparison.

PMID 42760621
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PubMedThe Journal of clinical and aesthetic dermatology2026-09-19

Clinical Applications of Vitamin C in Dermatology: A Systematic Review.

Boghosian Tanya T, Mendez Hannah H, Boghosian Nazar N, Sayegh Mira M et al.

To evaluate clinical applications, efficacy profiles, and delivery strategies of vitamin C and its derivatives in dermatology. A systematic review of PubMed and Scopus identified studies published from 2020 onward, evaluating topical, injectable, or systemic vitamin C formulations. Of 263 screened publications, 44 met inclusion criteria. Data were extracted regarding derivative type, delivery platform, and outcomes. Ascorbic acid remains the most clinically validated formulation, with low-pH stabilized systems and L-ascorbic acid, vitamin E, and ferulic acid-type complexes consistently improving photoaging, structural aging, pigmentary disorders, and periprocedural healing. Ascorbyl tetraisopalmitate shows superior lipophilic stability, benefiting pigmentary and structural aging. Tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate is preferred for sensitive skin but requires acetyl zingerone stabilization. Ascorbyl glucoside with or without arginine is well tolerated for chronic hyperpigmentation. Sodium ascorbyl phosphate improves texture and pigmentation, particularly when paired with microneedling. Bis-glyceryl ascorbate demonstrates niche utility for preventing tyrosine kinase inhibitor-associated hand-foot skin reaction. Ascorbyl palmitate and magnesium ascorbyl phosphate emulgels provide rapid pigment lightening. Across modalities, procedural delivery-microneedling, jet injection, and radiofrequency-assisted laser import-enhances penetration and clinical response. Dietary vitamin C at 40 to 80 mg per day offers modest systemic photoprotection, hydration, and wrinkle-smoothing benefits, even without overt deficiency. Study heterogeneity and a paucity of standardized data, particularly regarding diverse phototypes, restrict direct comparison; further research is required to guide optimal dermatologic use. Clinical effectiveness of vitamin C depends on derivative chemistry, vehicle, pH, stabilization strategy, and delivery method. Personalized selection by skin type, treatment goals, and delivery modality is essential.

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PubMedMedicine2026-09-19

An intelligent OCR-LLM prescription review system for inpatient narcotic and psychotropic drugs: Development and retrospective validation.

Ma Rong R, Xu Kai K, Zhang Mingming M, Li Xiangpeng X et al.

This study aimed to construct an intelligent prescription review system for inpatient narcotic and psychotropic drugs based on deep learning-based optical character recognition (OCR) and a local large language model (LLM) and evaluate its review performance and closed-loop management value. This study adopted a combined system development and retrospective validation design. Prescription images were first processed using OCR for text recognition and layout reconstruction. A local LLM was then applied to convert unstructured prescription text into standardized JavaScript Object Notation-formatted data. Subsequently, a locally developed rule base for narcotic and psychotropic drugs was used to evaluate prescription completeness, diagnosis-based dosage limits, medication instructions, physician signatures, and residual drug handling for injectable formulations. Using pharmacists' manual review results as the reference standard, 500 inpatient prescriptions for narcotic and psychotropic drugs were retrospectively included. System performance was evaluated in terms of accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, F1 score, and Cohen's kappa coefficient. The system successfully implemented prescription image recognition, text structuring, rule-based validation, signature verification, residual drug calculation, and triggers for manual pharmacist review. In the retrospective validation, compared with pharmacists' manual review, the system identified 144 true positives, 16 false positives, 334 true negatives, and 6 false negatives. The overall accuracy was 95.6%, sensitivity was 96.0%, specificity was 95.4%, positive predictive value was 90.0%, negative predictive value was 98.2%, F1 score was 0.929, and Cohen's kappa coefficient was 0.897. The proposed OCR-LLM-based intelligent prescription review system for inpatient narcotic and psychotropic drugs demonstrates high accuracy and strong consistency. It can serve as a front-end screening and decision-support tool for pharmacists and provides technical support for standardized, traceable, and closed-loop management of specially controlled medications.

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