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Title: Once-Weekly Alendronate as Good as Twice-Weekly and Once-Daily Regimens: Presented at WCO

"Once-Weekly Alendronate as Good as Twice-Weekly and Once-Daily Regimens: Presented at WCO"

By Adrian Burton Special to DG News LISBON, PORTUGAL -- May 14, 2002 -- Taking alendronate once a week improves bone mineral density (BMD) -- and therefore prevents lumbar spine and hip fractures -- as effectively as current regimens involving more frequent administration. That finding was presented here Sunday at the International Osteoporosis Foundation's World Congress on Osteoporosis. Bisphosphonate therapy for osteoporosis has the drawback that its dosing and administration must be strictly controlled, because absorption of these drugs is prevented by cations. "Patients must be fasting and they have to wait for a time before they eat or drink anything but water," explained Henry Bone, Director of the Michigan Bone and Mineral Clinic, Detroit, Michigan, United States. "The objective of the once-weekly regimen is to see if we can minimize patient inconvenience and improve adherence." In the study, 1258 postmenopausal women were placed on either 70 mg once-weekly alendronate (n=519), 35 mg twice weekly alendronate (n=369) or 10 mg daily alendronate (n=370). The percentage change in lumbar spine (LS) and hip BMDs was measured at baseline and at two years, and then recorded for specific subgroups of patients at baseline. Those subgroups included patients greater than or less than age 65 and 75; those with vertebral fracture (VF); those with lumbar spine BMD below or above the median; and those more or less than 10 years post-menopause. It was found that treatment response was consistent across all subgroups with respect to percentage change in both lumbar spine and hip BMD. No significant differences were found at all. "All of the factors that might influence risk were taken into account in this analysis, and it was shown that the efficacy on change in bone mass did not depend on any of these variables," explained Dr. Bone. This means that patients may now safely switch to the more comfortable once weekly regimen. "My patients who have a choice of taking either 10 mg a day or 70 mg once a week are very clear in their preference, and medically I think we can now say the results are equivalent," concluded Dr. Bone.

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