Managing the osteoporotic patient today

Patients with osteoporosis need a safe and effective treatment that reduces the risk of vertebral and hip fractures, leading to clinical benefits such as reduced pain and disability. The unique mechanism of action of strontium ranelate corrects bone turnover so that it is rebalanced in favor of bone formation. Double-blind, placebo-controlled studies in postmenopausal osteoporosis show it to be effective in reducing vertebral and hip fracture risks. Treatment efficacy has been documented across a wide range of patient profiles and appears to be independent of all the major determinants of fracture risk, including the severity of the disease at baseline, the number of prevalent fractures, and the age of the patient. This antifracture efficacy translates into clinical benefits, including a reduction in the rate of height loss and an increase in the number of patients free of back pain. Strontium ranelate is also one of the few antiosteoporotic drugs with data to demonstrate an improvement in quality of life indices. The rates of compliance with treatment were over 80% in phase 3 studies, reflecting the tolerability and safety profile and the ease of administration of this agent. Strontium ranelate thus offers significant clinical benefits in terms of efficacy, tolerability, and ease of administration in the treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis fractures.