Health

Osteoporosis drug cuts fracture risk

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted April 12, 2004

Print  |   Email  |   Respond  |   Reprints  |   Like Facebook  |   Share Twitter  |   Tweet Linkedin

Alendronate, a widely prescribed drug for treating osteoporosis, was found to be safe and to effectively reduce fracture risk among a group of postmenopausal women who took it continuously for 10 years, according to a study published in the March 18 New England Journal of Medicine.

Alendronate, marketed as Fosamax, was the first orally active bisphosphonate introduced in the United States for the treatment of osteoporosis. It is marketed by Merck, which also funded the study.

Henry G. Bone, MD, director of the Michigan Bone and Mineral Clinic, and colleagues began the study in 1991 as a three-year examination of 994 postmenopausal women ages 44 to 84. They continued to track 247 participants for the additional years, dividing them into groups that took 5 mg, 10 mg or 20 mg of Fosamax daily. The 20 mg group was changed to 5 mg for three years and then to a placebo for five years.

The women also received 500 mg of calcium daily and were permitted, but not required, to take vitamin D supplements.

Osteoporosis takes an enormous toll among postmenopausal women, said Gordon J. Strewler, MD, an internist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, in an accompanying article. One woman in three and one man in nine older than age 80 will sustain a hip fracture at some point, and 15% to 20% of these patients will die from complications, he wrote.

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/04/12/hlbf0412.htm.

Back to top


ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISE HERE


Featured
Read story

Confronting bias against obese patients

Medical educators are starting to raise awareness about how weight-related stigma can impair patient-physician communication and the treatment of obesity. Read story


Read story

Goodbye

American Medical News is ceasing publication after 55 years of serving physicians by keeping them informed of their rapidly changing profession. Read story


Read story

Policing medical practice employees after work

Doctors can try to regulate staff actions outside the office, but they must watch what they try to stamp out and how they do it. Read story


Read story

Diabetes prevention: Set on a course for lifestyle change

The YMCA's evidence-based program is helping prediabetic patients eat right, get active and lose weight. Read story


Read story

Medicaid's muddled preventive care picture

The health system reform law promises no-cost coverage of a lengthy list of screenings and other prevention services, but some beneficiaries still might miss out. Read story


Read story

How to get tax breaks for your medical practice

Federal, state and local governments offer doctors incentives because practices are recognized as economic engines. But physicians must know how and where to find them. Read story


Read story

Advance pay ACOs: A down payment on Medicare's future

Accountable care organizations that pay doctors up-front bring practice improvements, but it's unclear yet if program actuaries will see a return on investment. Read story


Read story

Physician liability: Your team, your legal risk

When health care team members drop the ball, it's often doctors who end up in court. How can physicians improve such care and avoid risks? Read story

  • Stay informed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • LinkedIn