title: Effects of anti-osteoporosis medications on fracture healing.
abstract: A number of fractures are complicated by impaired healing. This is prevalent in certain risk groups such as elderly, osteoporotics, postmenopausal women, and in people with malnutrition. At present, no pharmacologic treatments are available. Thus, there is an unmet need for medications that can stimulate bone healing. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is the first bone anabolic drug approved for the treatment of osteoporosis and, intriguingly, a number of animal studies prove the ability of PTH to induce fracture healing. PTH may therefore be a potential novel treatment option in humans with impaired healing. However, more randomized clinical trials documenting the clinical efficacy of PTH as a promoter of fracture healing in the clinical setting are warranted. Also, strontium ranelate seems to have beneficial effects on fracture healing under conditions with impaired healing. However, no clinical studies are available so far, and such studies are warranted before any conclusions can be drawn. In contrast, bisphosphonates-which are the most widely used drug for treating osteoporosis-delay the healing process slightly, although apparently not clinically relevant. Finally, a number of newer antiresorptive agents are available, but very few studies have addressed their effects on bone healing.
authors.affiliation: Research Center for Ageing and Osteoporosis, Departments of Medicine and Clinical Biochemistry, Copenhagen University Hospital Glostrup, Nordre Ringvej 69, DK-2600 Glostrup, Denmark. niklas@dadlnet.dk
authors.forename: Niklas R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Jørgensen
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schwarz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004164:Diphosphonates / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017102:Fracture Healing / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D023421:Models, Animal; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000150:complications; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013876:Thiophenes / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D050071:Bone Density Conservation Agents; D004164:Diphosphonates; D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone; D013876:Thiophenes; C081587:strontium ranelate