[Therapeutic agents for disorders of bone and calcium metabolism: Zoledronic acid]

Abstract

Intervenous (IV) bisphosphonates are used for cancer patients with hypercalcemia of malignancy (HCM) and breast cancer bone metastases (BM). Recently, zoledronic acid, the most potent third generation bisphosphonate, has been approved for both HCM and BM of broad tumors. It showed 850-fold stronger activity than pamidronate in bone resorption assay, and clinical efficacy against multiple cancer bone lesion has been confirmed in randomized clinical trials. Zoledronic acid becomes one of the most used bisphosphonate for cancer patients in the world, and the results of clinical trials for cancer treatment-induced bone loss or postmenopausal osteoporosis are now updating.