Once weekly alendronate.
Alendronate, a bisphosphonate that potently inhibits bone resorption, has been shown in long-term clinical trials to be an effective treatment for osteoporosis, increasing bone mineral density and substantially reducing the incidence of both vertebral and nonvertebral fractures, including hip fractures, mostly using a daily dosage regimen. Although daily administration has generally been well tolerated in these trials, some patients develop upper gastrointestinal symptoms. Current safety and efficacy data suggest that once-weekly dosing of alendronate appears to be as efficacious as daily administration in the treatment of osteoporosis, providing greater convenience to patients, improved compliance and a lower risk of upper gastrointestinal symptoms compared with daily administration. This review examines published data addressing the safety and efficacy of once-weekly alendronate administration.
Sambrook
Philip
P
Professor of Rheumatology, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. sambrook@med.usyd.edu.au
D019386:Alendronate / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000188:drug therapy*
D019386:Alendronate