Eli Lilly Headquarters A popular osteoporosis drug has received a stamp of approval by a Food and Drug Advisory committee as a breast cancer prevention strategy.

According to the drug’s manufacturer Eli Lilly, the thumbs-up means that reloxifene sold under the brand name Evista is one step away from becoming the second drug approved to help reduce the risk of the disease in otherwise healthy women.

Prior to this, a drug called Tamoxifen was used since the late 1970s as a preventive for breast cancer.

This new drug Evista takes care of hormone chanced linked to menopause, a strategy that prevents and treats brittle bones and also helps to keep away some breast cancers.

Also, a study that tests Evista’s breast cancer prevention power suggests that the medicine might help prevent invasive breast cancer just as well as tamoxifen, although it will now have fewer risks.

According to Dr. Mary Daly, of the Fox Chase Cancer Center, “both the drugs appear to reduce the risk for breast cancer by about 50 per cent. Now women have two options to choose from when they’re considering risk reduction for breast cancer.”

Evista will be meant for post-menopausal women at a high risk for developing breast cancer.