04 Oct Zoledronate (Reclast, Zometa) Reduced Fractures in Older Women with Osteopenia

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Prof. Reid

Prof Ian Reid
Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
University of Auckland
Auckland New Zealand 

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: Bisphosphonates prevent fractures in patients with osteoporosis, but their efficacy in women with less marked bone loss (referred to as osteopenia) is unknown.

Most fractures in postmenopausal women occur in osteopenic patients, so therapies with efficacy in osteopenia are needed.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report? 

Response: Infusions of zoledronate every 18 months for 6 years reduced fracture numbers by one third. This was achieved without the need to take calcium supplements. There were also beneficial trends in mortality, numbers of heart attacks and numbers of cancers.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work?

Response: Zoledronate has the potential to substantially reduce the number of fractures in older women if widely used in the at-risk population. Its use even less frequently should be explored and further studies are needed to determine whether it really does influence the risk of heart attacks and cancers.

MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Response: The study was paid for by the Health Research Council of New Zealand, with medication supplied by Novartis.

Citation:

Fracture Prevention with Zoledronate in Older Women with Osteopenia

Ian R. Reid, M.D., Anne M. Horne, M.B., Ch.B., Borislav Mihov, B.Phty., Angela Stewart, R.N., Elizabeth Garratt, B.Nurs., Sumwai Wong, B.Sc., Katy R. Wiessing, B.Sc., Mark J. Bolland, Ph.D., Sonja Bastin, M.B., Ch.B., and Gregory D. Gamble, M.Sc.

October 1, 2018
DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1808082  

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Last Updated on October 4, 2018 by Marie Benz MD FAAD