Once weekly alendronate

Abstract

Alendronate, a bisphosphonate that potently inhibits bone resorption, has been shown in long-term clinical trials to be an effective treatment for osteoporosis, increasing bone mineral density and substantially reducing the incidence of both vertebral and nonvertebral fractures, including hip fractures, mostly using a daily dosage regimen. Although daily administration has generally been well tolerated in these trials, some patients develop upper gastrointestinal symptoms. Current safety and efficacy data suggest that once-weekly dosing of alendronate appears to be as efficacious as daily administration in the treatment of osteoporosis, providing greater convenience to patients, improved compliance and a lower risk of upper gastrointestinal symptoms compared with daily administration. This review examines published data addressing the safety and efficacy of once-weekly alendronate administration.