Efficacy of risedronate on clinical vertebral fractures within six months

• Published in: Current medical research and opinion Vol. 20; no. 4; pp. 433 - 439
• Main Authors: Roux, Christian, Seeman, Ego, Eastell, Richard, Adachi, Jonathan, Jackson, Rebecca D., Felsenberg, Dieter, Songcharoen, Suthin, Rizzoli, René, Munno, Ombretta Di, Horlait, Stephane, Valent, David, Watts, Nelson B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Informa UK Ltd 01.04.2004; Taylor & Francis; Informa Healthcare
• Subjects: Body Height; Etidronic Acid - analogs & derivatives; Etidronic Acid - therapeutic use; Female; Fractures, Spontaneous - diagnostic imaging; Fractures, Spontaneous - etiology; Fractures, Spontaneous - prevention & control; Humans; Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal - drug therapy; Postmenopausal osteoporosis; Radiography; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Risedronate; Risedronic Acid; Spinal Fractures - diagnostic imaging; Spinal Fractures - etiology; Spinal Fractures - prevention & control; Vertebral fracture
• ISSN: 0300-7995; 1473-4877
• DOI: 10.1185/030079903125003125

SUMMARY Objective: Postmenopausal osteoporotic women with pre-existing or new incident vertebral fractures are at high risk for future fracture, so prompt treatment is warranted. Risedronate has been shown to reduce the incidence of radiographically-defined vertebral fractures by approximately two-thirds within 1 year. Research design: This study examined the effects of risedronate treatment on the time course of the reduction in the risk of clinical vertebral fractures (i.e., symptomatic fractures), on the risk of moderate-to-severe radiographic vertebral fractures, and on height. Results: In 2442 postmenopausal women with prevalent vertebral fractures from the Vertebral Efficacy with Risedronate Therapy (VERT) studies who received either risedronate 5 mg or placebo, daily risedronate reduced the risk of clinical vertebral fractures within 6 months (RR = 0.08, 95% CI 0.01-0.63), and by 69% at 1 year (RR = 0.31, 95% CI 0.12, 0.78). At 1 year, risedronate also reduced the risk of moderate-to-severe radiographically-defined vertebral fractures by 71% (RR = 0.29 95% CI 0.16, 0.54). Height loss was attenuated with treatment, most notably in patients who experienced new vertebral fractures, with a median difference of 0.73 cm compared with subjects receiving placebo ( p = 0.005). Conclusion: Risedronate reduces the risk of clinical vertebral fractures in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis within 6 months of commencing treatment.