title: Risedronate for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.
abstract: Risedronate sodium is an N-containing bisphosphonate that has been approved for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. An increase in the rate of bone remodelling is a regular feature of oestrogen withdrawal during the menopausal transition, but excessive remodelling leads to bone fragility. Risedronate and similar compounds reduce the rate of bone remodelling by suppressing the action of osteoclasts. The antifracture efficacy of risedronate is impressive. In large clinical trials of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis-related fracture(s) at entry, the risk of incident vertebral and non-vertebral fractures was reduced by approximately 40%. In older women at risk for hip fracture, incident hip fractures were also reduced by approximately 40%. Antifracture efficacy develops within the first 6 months, and treatment has been followed for as long as 5 years without deleterious effects on bone. We await reports of experience with risedronate in 'real-world' cases of greater complexity (i.e., in patients with co-morbidities and medications that would have excluded them from published clinical trials).
authors.affiliation: Creighton University Medical Center, Osteoporosis Research Center, 601 North 30th Street, Suite 5766, Omaha, NE 68131, USA. rrecker@creighton.edu
authors.forename: Robert R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Recker
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Barger-Lux
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015519:Bone Density / Q000187:drug effects; D016723:Bone Remodeling; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D012968:Etidronic Acid / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010010:Osteoclasts / Q000187:drug effects; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000188:drug therapy*; D051381:Rats; D000068296:Risedronic Acid
chemical_list: D000068296:Risedronic Acid; D012968:Etidronic Acid