Osteoporosis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Osteoporosis, including details on symptoms, treatment, prevention, causes.

An analysis of which anti-osteoporosis therapeutic regimen would improve compliance in a population of elderly adults.

Richards JB, Cherkas LF, Spector TD

Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology Unit, St. Thomas' Hospital, King's College London, UK.

OBJECTIVE: Although medications to prevent osteoporotic fractures have been proven to be effective, compliance to these therapies is generally poor. Therapeutic regimens for different anti-osteoporotic medications differ widely and it is currently unknown which regimen would be most preferred by patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We conducted a large, population-based study to discern which therapeutic attributes would be most preferable to a population representative of the age and sex distribution of patients with osteoporosis. RESULTS: Our study sample was restricted to persons aged 55 years and over and comprised 2485 individuals (mean age of 64.5 years). The study population was predominantly female (90.3%) and two-thirds of the respondents reported current daily medication use. Nearly half (45%) of the study population preferred to take medications daily, while one in five preferred weekly therapy and 30% preferred monthly therapy (p < 0.0001 for between proportion comparisons). When given the option of choosing between three different medication regimen scenarios, those subjects not currently using anti-osteoporotic medications preferred a theoretical regimen which was daily and did not involve subsequent fasting and maintaining an upright posture. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that compliance with osteoporotic medications could be improved if patients are able to choose a therapeutic regimen best suited to their particular needs. The majority of subjects preferred a drug which was taken daily and with minimal inconvenience, rather than a weekly drug with slightly more inconvenience. Given that most physicians currently prescribe anti-osteoporotic therapy as a weekly regimen, at the time of diagnosis physicians should ascertain which regimen would be most preferable to patients prior to initiating therapy.

Published 9 February 2007 in Curr Med Res Opin, 23(2): 293-9.
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