Study finds superior outcomes for fracture risk reduction in osteoporosis
pharmafile | April 26, 2021 | News story | Sales and Marketing |
A real-world evidence study, presented at the International Conference on Osteoporosis, Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Disorders, has shown for the first time via direct comparison, that risedronate GR (Actonel GR) demonstrated superior outcomes for fracture risk reduction in patients with osteoporosis, compared to those who received an immediate release (IR) bisphosphonate.
The study used healthcare claims data from over 5,000 osteoporosis patients to demonstrate a 17% reduction in incidence of any site fractures for patients taking risedronate GR compared with those taking oral IR bisphosphonates.
This difference was even more pronounced in spine fractures where a 29% reduction in fracture incidence was seen and the time to first fracture was delayed for those receiving risedronate GR, reaching statistical significance at 36 months.
Lead study investigator, Dr Friederike Thomasius, said: “These data are crucial for all healthcare professionals managing osteoporosis and provide an important insight into real-world evidence.
“I see patients every day who are struggling with medication compliance due to the inflexible regimes of some bisphosphonates. We know that one in three women over the age of 50 will suffer a fragility fracture that can be life changing. As clinicians we need to carefully consider the options for our patients and what this means for lowering fracture risk.”
Bisphosphonates are currently recommended as a first line treatment, but there are a number of restrictions associated with how they are taken. For example, the need to fast overnight before taking and for 30 minutes afterwards and up to a third of patients treated with bisphosphonates take them with food which may increase fracture risk. Risedronate GR is the only oral bisphosphonate which can be taken with food due to its enteric coating.
Robert Stewart, Chief Executive Officer of Theramex, developers of the drug, said: “We knew that Actonel GR offered a treatment choice that could remove the variability of compliance experienced with oral immediate release bisphosphonates. We set out to explore the impact of this in a real-world setting. What we found was significantly improved clinical outcomes in fracture risk reduction for patients taking Actonel GR versus oral immediate release bisphosphonates.
“When we consider bisphosphonates are the first line treatment in a condition affecting 200 million women globally, this is an important finding and completely aligned to our mission at Theramex as a company solely dedicated to improving women’s health.”
Kat Jenkins
