Recombinant human parathyroid hormone ] represents a new class of anabolic agents for the treatment of osteoporosis. The present study was designed to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of rhPTH(1-84) after single-and multiple-dose subcutaneous administration in healthy Chinese volunteers. Six cohorts of 32 volunteers received a single dose of rhPTH(1-84) at 0.5-5.0 lg ⁄ kg, and two cohorts of 12 volunteers received 2.0 and 3.0 lg ⁄ kg of rhPTH(1-84) once daily for 7 consecutive days to assess its safety and tolerability. The results indicated that rhPTH(1-84) appeared to be safe and well tolerated. Additionally, pharmacokinetics of rhPTH (1-84) -84) and rhPTH(1-34) were found to be dose proportional. The pharmacokinetic parameters for rhPTH(1-84) and rhPTH(1-34) after administration of multiple doses of 2.0 lg ⁄ kg were as follows: C ss_max = (164.96 € 52.61) and (75.05 € 7.31) pg ⁄ mL; C ss_min = (6.99 € 7.73) and (2.05 € 2.82) pg ⁄ mL; AUC ss = (567.26 € 118.41) and (306.02 € 77.55) pg hr ⁄ mL; t 1 ⁄ 2 = (1.81 € 0.89) and (2.27 € 1.11) hr; DF = (6.93 € 2.64) and (6.00 € 1.37), respectively. After multiple doses, the pharmacokinetic parameters for rhPTH(1-84) were consistent with those after single dose. However, the mean C max and AUC 0-10 of rhPTH(1-34) after multiple dosing were significantly higher than the corresponding values obtained after single-dose administration. Serum total calcium and phosphate concentrations increased and decreased significantly at 4 hr post-dosing, respectively.