LA times reported 3 May that a new once-a-year drug has shown strong promise for the treatment of osteoporosis. However, researchers said the medication may increase the likelihood of miscued heart beats in a small percentage of patients taking it, putting them at a high risk of stroke. Reclast - whose scientific name was zoledronic acid - is found to reduce spinal fractures by 70 percent and hip fractures by 41 percent in a three-year study of 7,736 post-menopausal women. Novartis has submitted data to the US Food and Drug Administration, requesting that Reclast be considered as an osteoporosis drug.
Doctors would prefer a once-a-year treatment for osteoporosis because patients do not always take other medication regularly. Bisphosphonate pills are supposed to be taken on an empty stomach with a full glass of water, and the patients must be upright for at least 30 minutes. As a result, most patients skip at least 20 percent of their pills. Osteoporosis affects millions of women worldwide, with more than 50 million women in the United States, Europe and Japan suffering from the ailment.
Doctors would prefer a once-a-year treatment for osteoporosis because patients do not always take other medication regularly. Bisphosphonate pills are supposed to be taken on an empty stomach with a full glass of water, and the patients must be upright for at least 30 minutes. As a result, most patients skip at least 20 percent of their pills. Osteoporosis affects millions of women worldwide, with more than 50 million women in the United States, Europe and Japan suffering from the ailment.
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