OSTEOPOROSIS: Is Injection an Option?

New research on a once-a-year treatment

BY:MYRA DEMBROW

How's this for an easy future alternative when taking prescribed treatments for osteoporosis: an annual intravenous injection!

A 36-month study showed that women who received annual treatments with zoledronic acid (Zometa or Reclast) were 70 percent less likely to suffer a vertebral fracture than women who received a placebo. In addition, their bone density improved significantly. The study involved 4,000 women and was funded by Novartis Pharma, which manufactures both drugs, and the results were reported in the May 3, 2007, edition of The New England Journal of Medicine.

While approval by the Food and Drug Administration is yet to come for this once-a-year treatment, it's eagerly awaited by those who find pill regimens difficult to follow. According to Novartis, most women miss at least 20 percent of their doses.

"The big concern has been in patient compliance," agrees Paul C. Brandt, assistant professor, department of Medical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, who was not involved in the study. "The monthly pills run into problems [because patients] start to forget."

The annually injectable zoledronic acid is a bisphosphonate, the same class of drug as alendronate sodium and ibandronate sodium, which are taken in pill form on a daily, weekly or monthly basis with a full glass of water immediately upon waking and, depending on the drug and the dosage, requiring the patient to not lie down, eat or drink for as long as 60 minutes.