Medications Don’t Work If Patients Don’t Take Them:

2008 Santa Fe Bone Symposium: update on osteoporosis

The Ninth Annual Santa Fe Bone Symposium was held on August 1-2, 2008, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. The symposium faculty presented the current best evidence on selected topics of clinical relevance in the fields of osteoporosis, metabolic bone disease, and assessment of skeletal health. The educational venues were in the form of didactic presentations, panel discussions, challenging cases, and numerous interactive discussions. Knowledge of basic science and clinical trials was applied to real-world patient scenarios that were discussed by faculty experts and clinician participants. Topics included an update on the rationale and development of new agents for the treatment of osteoporosis, the use of bone turnover markers in clinical practice, hospital-based pathways for the management of hip fracture patients, injectable bisphosphonates for the treatment of osteoporosis, combination therapy with anabolic and antiresorptive agents, and assessment of skeletal health with devices other than central dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. This is a collection of scientific essays based on presentations and discussions at the 2008 Santa Fe Bone Symposium.

A clinician's perspective on the use of zoledronic acid in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis

Osteoporotic fractures may lead to pain, disability, impaired quality of life, and increased risk of death, with annual health-care costs of $17 billion or more. Oral bisphosphonates, the first-line treatment for postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO), increase bone mineral density and reduce the risk of fracture, but dosing requirements are complex and compliance and persistence are poor. The newest bisphosphonate treatment option, intravenous (IV) zoledronic acid (ZOL) every 12mo, has been shown to reduce the risk of vertebral, hip, and other nonvertebral fractures. Long-dosing intervals and 100% bioavailability with IV bisphosphonate therapy address some of the limitations associated with oral bisphosphonates. This is a review of the clinical trial data supporting the use of IV ZOL to reduce fracture risk, and its potential role in the management of PMO in clinical practice.