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Four
shots a year may curb menopausal bone loss From Reuters Healt An injection of a drug called ibandronate given every
three months seems to be an effective new treatment for preventing bone
loss in postmenopausal women. Ibandronate, also known by the brand-name Bondronat, is one of a class
of bone-boosting drugs called bisphosphonates. The four-times-a-year
treatment may offer an "effective and convenient alternative" to
estrogen replacement therapy for preventing the bone-thinning condition of
osteoporosis, say researchers in an article in the Annals of the Rheumatic
Diseases. Dr. J. A. Stakkestad, of The women were randomly assigned to receive 0.5, 1, or 2 milligrams of
ibandronate -- or an inactive placebo -- by injection every 3 months. All
of the women were also given daily calcium supplements. After 1 year, ibandronate produced increases in average spine BMD of
1.0 percent, 1.8 percent, and 2.5 percent among those given 0.5 mg, 1 mg,
and 2 mg respectively. In contrast, women given placebo injections had a 0.4 percent loss of
BMD. Significantly greater gains in BMD in the hip were also seen with all
three doses of ibandronate compared with placebo. Women who already had thinning bones and who were given 2 mg of
ibandronate had the highest gain in bone density, according to the
investigators. The treatment was well tolerated. While the drug has already been shown to prevent fractures in
postmenopausal women, the investigators point out that "this is the
first study demonstrating the efficacy and tolerability of intermittent
intravenous injections of a bisphosphonate in preventing bone loss in
early postmenopausal women." SOURCE: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, October 2003.
Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging |
