Alendronate in the treatment of Pagetʹs disease of bone

We studied four treatment regimens of oral alendronate in 60 patients with active Pagetʹs disease. Two groups received an oral daily dose of either 40 or 80 mg of alendronate for 3 months, followed by placebo for a further 3 months: the other two groups received treatment with 40 to 80 mg per day for 6 months. Activity of alkaline phosphatase and urinary hydroxyproline excretion were measured before, during, and after treatment, at intervals for a total follow-up of 1 year. A transiliac bone biopsy was performed in 24 patients before and after the treatment. An additional 16 patients had a third biopsy more than a year after stopping treatment. Alendronate induced a marked suppression in the urinary excretion of hydroxyproline within 2 weeks (p< 0.01) followed by a fall in serum activity of alkaline phosphatase at 1 month (p< 0.01) in all treatment groups. Nine months after the start of treatment patients treated with 80 mg for 6 months had a significantly lower mean alkaline phosphatase activity compared to the other treatment groups (p< 0.02), which persisted at 1 year (p< 0.05). Alkaline phosphatase decreased to within the laboratory reference range in all patients given 80 mg for 6 months. In contrast, alkaline phosphatase decreased to within the laboratory reference range in 73–83% of patients given 80 mg for 3 months and the 40 mg dose. Histomorphometric assessment showed a decrease in indices of bone turnover in the pagetic biopsies. None of the biopsies taken after treatment showed evidence of impaired mineralization of bone. Gastrointestinal side effects occurred in 25% of patients of whom two withdrew from treatment. We conclude that oral alendronate is an effective agent for the treatment of Pagetʹs disease of bone.