Once-a-Year Osteoporosis Treatments
Osteoporosis is a condition that primarily affects women, especially after menopause, although it occasionally affects men, too. According to the Mayo Clinic, it makes sufferers more prone to bone fractures. Their bones weaken and become brittle to the point where even daily activities like lifting heavy items can cause a break. Fortunately, there are several effective treatment options, including a once-a-year injectable drug.
Other People Are Reading
-
Definition
-
Zoledronic acid is a drug used as a once-a-year osteoporosis treatment. It has been approved for this use by the Food and Drug Administration and is currently being marketed under the brand name Reclast by Novartis Pharmaceuticals. According to the Mayo Clinic, it works by slowing the breakdown process of a woman's bones, which typically speeds up after menopause due to decreased estrogen.
Administration
-
Zoledronic acid is administered through a 15-minute intravenous infusion. It only has to be done once a year in order to be effective. According to Dr. Dennis Black of the University of California, this makes it potentially more effective than other treatments because patients receive the full dose. Dr. Black said that some women who get a prescription for oral treatments will stop taking the drug or will skip some doses. This means they don't have full protection. The once-a-year treatment eliminates this problem.
-
Effectiveness
-
Research led by Dr. Black showed that zoledronic acid is an effective osteoporosis treatment when given to women once a year over a three-year period. According to the study results, zoledronic acid reduces the bone fracture risk for females who suffer from postmenopausal osteoporosis. There was a 70 percent reduction in spine fracture risk during the first year of the study. Other types of fractures were also reduced, and zoledronic acid improved bone density and bone metabolism markers.
Alternatives
-
In addition to oral alternatives that are taken daily or monthly, the Mayo Clinic says there is another injectable option. This drug, called Ibandronate, is infused intravenously every three months. This means a patient must be treated four times a year as opposed to only once a year with zoledronic acid.
Warning
-
During the study of zoledronic acid as a once-a-year osteoporosis treatment, patients who received the drug rather than a placebo showed a higher incidence of abnormal heart rhythm. Fifty women in the group being treated with the drug had this problem, compared to 20 women in the placebo group. However, researchers say this number is not statistically significant and does not indicate that the drug is dangerous.
-
References
- Photo Credit Typo Queen/sxc.hu
