Risedronate Sodium Once A Week As Effective As Daily Dose.(Brief Article)

2001 DEC 13 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A once-a-week, 35 mg dose of Actonel (risedronate sodium tablets) was as effective as 5 mg of Actonel daily at increasing bone mineral density (BMD) in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO), according to a recent study.

Data from the study, which included 1456 women age 50 and older, were presented November 12, 2001, at the 65th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in San Francisco, California. In the study, patients taking Actonel 35 mg once a week experienced a significant 3.9% increase in lumbar spine BMD at 12 months versus baseline, comparable to the 4.0% increase achieved with the 5 mg daily dose.

Total hip, femoral neck and trochanteric BMD also increased significantly at 12 months versus baseline with both dosages, with differences in BMD increases of less than 0.5% between the daily and once-a-week treatments. In addition, the adverse event profile of risedronate 35 mg once a week was comparable with the 5 mg daily dose.

The study included postmenopausal women at least 50 years old with osteoporosis (defined as low lumbar spine BMD, or t-score less than or equal to -2.0 with at least one prior vertebral fracture). All women received calcium supplementation, ...