The use of osteoanabolic agents to facilitate fracture healing has been of heightened interest to the field of orthopaedic trauma. This study aimed to evaluate the evidence of teriparatide for fracture healing and functional recovery in osteoporotic patients.

We performed a literature search in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library using terms including “Fracture” [tiab] AND “Teriparatide [tiab] OR “PTH” [tiab].

This systematic review included 6 randomized clinical trials, 4 well-controlled retrospective studies, and 1 retrospective post hoc subgroup analysis. Fracture location was 2 in pelvis, 3 in proximal femur, 1 in distal femur, 1 in shoulder, 2 in wrist and 2 in spine. The use of teriparatide yielded positive effects on radiographic bone healing in 6 studies, but was not associated with better radiographic outcome in 3. In terms of functional recovery, teriparatide injection was related with decrease in pain or shorter time to mobilization in 6 studies, but not related with pain numerical scale and mobility in 3.

Our findings suggest that teriparatide provide selective advantages to fracture healing or functional recovery in the management of osteoporotic fractures. A better understanding of the role of teriparatide on osteoporotic fractures requires greater evidences from large volume prospective trials.