Drug for Bone Loss Can Be Given Weekly

Weekly treatment with ibandronate (Boniva) is just as safe and effective as daily treatment for the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis, according to findings from a new study.

Weekly treatment with ibandronate (Boniva) is just as safe and effective as daily treatment for the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis, according to findings from a new study. Most bone loss preventing drugs, like ibandronate, are taken on a daily basis. But a lot of patients have difficulty adhering to a daily treatment regimen, lead author Dr. Cyrus Cooper, from Southampton General Hospital in the UK, and colleagues note. Weekly dosing with ibandronate could make it easier to stick with the treatment. The findings are based on a study of 235 older women with osteoporosis who were treated with oral ibandronate either given as a low dose each day or as a higher dose once a week. In addition, all subjects were treated daily with calcium and vitamin D, which also help protect the bones. The investigators report in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism that, after 48 weeks of treatment, each ibandronate regimen had produced a similar improvement in bone density. Furthermore, the regimens also produced similar chemical changes that indicated a reduction in bone loss. Both regimens were well tolerated and the rate of side effects was similar with each. About one third of patients in each group experienced a side effect possibly related to ibandronate. “The simplicity and improved patient convenience associated with less frequent (drug) regimens, such as once-weekly schedule, may (lead to better) outcomes as a consequence of improved adherence to therapy,” the researchers point out. (Source:MEDline Plus, Reuters, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, October 2003)