Bisphosphonate compliance no better weekly than daily.(Gynecology)

NASHVILLE, TENN. -- Women with postmenopausal osteoporosis are no more likely to adhere to bisphosphonate therapy with weekly dosing than with daily dosing, according to data presented in a poster at the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

In a retrospective study of 12,538 women with postmenopausal osteoporosis, risk of adherence failure did not differ between patients receiving weekly versus daily bisphosphonate therapy, according to Derek Weycker, Ph.D., of Policy Analysis Inc. in Brookline, Mass., and his colleagues.

The researchers reviewed integrated medical and outpatient pharmacy claims for women aged 45 years and older with postmenopausal osteoporosis from 30 U.S. health plans. Claims from January 1998 to December 2003 were included in the review.

Women were determined to have postmenopausal osteoporosis based on one or more medical claims with a corresponding diagnosis code. The women also had no evidence of secondary causes of osteoporosis. Patients were considered to have initiated therapy if their first corresponding prescription was preceded by a 6-month period of continuous health benefits without evidence of antiosteoporosis drug use.

Adherence was assessed on a daily basis from the date of therapy initiation through the date of a switch to another antiosteoporosis drug or formulation, date they left the plan, or Dec. 31, 2003--whichever came first. An adherence ratio ...