THE blight of osteoporosis, the crippling brittle bone disease that contorts the body and causes fractures from the slightest fall, may be lessened for millions of sufferers by a new treatment.
From today a prescription drug will be available that can be taken only once a month, instead of the daily or weekly drug regimes now. More than three million Britons are affected by the condition, which is caused by weakening of the honeycomb structure of calcium and protein inside bones.



One in three women and one in five men over 50 suffer broken bones as a result of the disease. It is responsible for more than 230,000 fractures a year. The new bisphosphonate medication, called Bonviva, is a formulation of ibandronic acid designed to rebuild bone in post-menopausal women. This group is particularly prone to the condition because levels of oestrogen, which helps to strengthen bone, falls when periods stop. Bisphosphonate treatments are very effective today but because they are available only in daily or weekly doses, the rate of compliance with the drug regime is poor.

Research shows that about half the patients on a weekly bisphosphonate treatment stop taking the medication by the end of the first year. Many struggle with the strict rules for taking bisphosphonates. These include having to fast before taking a tablet, and having to stand or sit upright afterwards.

A further advantage of the new medication is that it allows a three-week window, should patients forget when they last took a pill.

It is hoped that Bonviva, which comes in 150mg tablets, will mean that patients stick to treatment for longer, reducing their risk of future fractures.

Bonviva, which has been developed by GlaxoSmithKline and Roche, the drugs company, is much stronger than present treatments, and its actions work over a longer period.

Louise Dolan, a consultant rheumatologist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in London, said that patients would greatly appreciate the reduced intrusion on their daily lives with the new drug regime.

“A once-a-month treatment option should encourage women to take their treatment regularly, reducing the risk of fracture and the devastating impact this can have on their lives.” Of the country’s three million sufferers, 619,000 are on regular medication, with three quarters taking weekly tablets and the remainder on daily doses.

A spokeswoman from the National Osteoporosis Society said that the new medication offered people an effective treatment to reduce their risk of breaking bones.

“This will offer more choice to people about when to take their tablets, enabling them to choose a monthly tablet rather than a daily or weekly tablet, which may fit into their lives better,” she said.

Dr Thomas Stuttaford writes: “Once HRT became reserved for the treatment of severe menopausal symptoms, tens of thousands of women who had taken it to prevent osteoporosis were in need of another form of treatment to prevent their bones from weakening once oestrogen levels had fallen.

“The solution seems to be to take one of the bisphosphonates with, but at a different time from, additional calcium. Calcium and bisphosphonates should not be taken together as the bisphosphonate prevents the absorption of calcium.”