Alendronate: new formulations of an old and effective drug to improve adherence avoiding upper gastrointestinal side effects.
EUROPEAN REVIEW FOR MEDICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL SCIENCES 2014;
18:3788-3796. [PMID:
25555868]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
Alendronate is a second generation bisphosphonate which has been widely used in medical practice for two decades to treat osteoporosis and prevent fragility fractures both in elderly people and in younger patients.
METHODS
Since many papers have been recently published and new formulations or dosages have been developed, our aim was to review the most significant medical literature addressing the issues of efficacy, safety, posology and formulations of the treatment with alendronate in osteoporotic patients.
RESULTS
The efficacy of alendronate in reducing the risk of vertebral and non-vertebral fractures has been demonstrated in several studies. Despite favourable data coming from clinical trials, tolerability of alendronate represented a critical issue since its introduction into real clinical practice, possibly leading to early discontinuation of the therapy, especially when combined with lack of motivation of the patient. For this reason, new dosages and formulations of alendronate have been developed, alone or in combination with vitamin D, which have shown to reduce the impact of gastro-oesophageal adverse events, and minimize discomfort due to the need of adopting unfavourable postural positions every day, fasting for at least one hour.
CONCLUSIONS
Alendronate is the most frequently used antifracture therapy among those currently available. The increasing use of the 70 mg weekly dosages and newest formulations of this drug are expected to reduce adverse events and increase adherence to the antifracture therapy, thus resulting in better clinical outcomes when treating osteoporotic patients.
Collapse