Major Study Shows Benefit of Osteoporosis Drug

A landmark study has shown that an osteoporosis medication called risedronate (Actonel) significantly reduced the risk of hip fracture in elderly women, by up to 60% in women with severe osteoporosis. The study was published in the January 31 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

The three-year study was the first to evaluate as an endpoint a drug's ability to reduce the risk of hip fracture, and was the world's largest efficacy trial among postmenopausal women. The study involved 9,300 women from 183 clinical sites worldwide. In women 70-79 with confirmed osteoporosis, risedronate reduced the risk of hip fracture by 40%. Among women with more advanced osteoporosis, the risk was reduced by 60%. All women also took 1,000 mg of calcium each days and those with a vitamin D deficiency also took up to 500 International Units of vitamin D daily. The risk of hip fracture was not reduced in women 80 and over who did not have confirmed osteoporosis.

"These findings demonstrate that a clear diagnosis of osteoporosis—based on osteoporotic fractures or low bone-mineral density—is necessary to determine which patients are likely to benefit most from osteoporosis treatment to prevent hip fracture,”


said Dr. Michael McClung, director, Oregon Osteoporosis Center, and the lead author of the study.