New research suggests a single intravenous dose of the osteoporosis drug zoledronic acid could significantly improve bone mineral density in elderly women.
The drug was found to be effective in a group of rail elderly women living in nursing homes and long-term-care facilities in the United States The JAMA Network Journals reported.
The researchers looked at 81 women 65 or older with osteoporosis, including patients with other conditions such as cognitive impairment and immobility. Eighty-nine of these women were assigned to receive a single five milligram dose of zoledronic acid and 92 were assigned to receive placebo. All of the participants received daily vitamin D and calcium supplementation.
The researchers measured hip and spine bone mineral density (BMD) at 12 and 24 months. They found the total hip BMD increased more dramatically in the treatment group than in the placebo group at the time of both follow-up measurements. The average spine BMD also increased more in the treatment group than the placebo group.
There was not observed to be a significant difference in adverse effects between the two groups; The rate of fracture was at 20 percent in the treatment group and 16 percent in the placebo group. Mortality rates were at 16 percent and 13 percent in the treatment and placebo groups, respectively.
"In summary, we found that a single infusion of zoledronic acid in frail, cognitively challenged, less mobile elderly women improved bone density and reduced bone turnover for two years. This suggests that even a very frail cohort may benefit. However, prior to changing practice, larger trials are needed to determine whether improvement in these surrogate measures will translate into fracture reduction for vulnerable elderly persons," the study concluded.
The findings were published in a recent edition of the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.
