Strontium ranelate cuts vertebral fracture risk.(Gynecology)

VIENNA -- Strontium ranelate reduced the risk of new vertebral fractures 41% over 3 years in a very-high-risk population of osteoporotic women with at least two prevalent vertebral fractures at baseline, Sergio Ortolani, M.D., reported at the annual European congress of rheumatology.

That's as robust a relative risk reduction as seen in much lower-risk postmenopausal osteoporotic women with no previous vertebral fractures, noted Dr. Ortolani of the Center for Metabolic Bone Disease, Milan. "It appears we have a new first-line treatment for postmenopausal osteoporosis."

Dr. Ortolani presented a prespecified subgroup analysis drawn from two large phase III multinational placebo-controlled randomized trials of strontium ranelate for the reduction of fracture risk in osteoporotic postmenopausal women. The Spinal Osteoporosis Therapeutic Intervention (SOTI) involved 1,649 women randomized to 2 g/day of oral strontium ranelate or placebo, while the Treatment of Peripheral Osteoporosis Study (TROPOS) included 5,091 women. Both Servier Laboratories-sponsored trials will run for 5 years, although the 3-year primary outcome data have been published.

Among 2,605 combined study participants without prior vertebral fractures at baseline, the 3-year incidence of new vertebral fractures was 14.4% with placebo and ...