Osteoporosis Treatment: Study assesses long-term efficacy of ibandronic acid

New findings from the first year of a study assessing the long-term efficacy of ibandronic acid, the first and only once-monthly bishophonate indicated for the treatment of osteoporosis in women, show that the drug "continues to be highly effective at strengthening bone in the spine and hip by increasing bone mineral density (BMD)."

The Monthly Oral iBandronate in Ladies Long Term Extension (MOBILE LTE) study also shows ibandronic acid as well tolerated over a three-year period.

These findings were presented for the first time at the 28th Meeting of the American Society of Bone Mineral Research (ASBMR).

An extension of the earlier two-year MOBILE study involving 1,609 patients, the MOBILE LTE study was designed to continue to assess the long-term efficacy of ibandronic acid in some patients by measuring BMD improvements over an additional three-year period.

BMD is an established means of assessing the effectiveness of osteoporosis treatments. In the same way that cholesterol is used to predict cardiovascular disease, physicians utilize BMD to predict fracture risk.

After the first year of the MOBILE LTE study, the BMD of those receiving ibandronic acid 150 mg once monthly 1.5 percent and by 0.3 percent at the total hip. These are further improvements from the two-year BMD increases of 6.6 percent at the lumbar spine and 4.2 percent at the total hip.

Throughout the MOBILE study, the monthly ibandronic acid was found to have a tolerability profile similar to that of the daily regimen.

These important findings demonstrate that once-monthly oral ibandronic acid is highly effective at increasing BMD at the hip and spine (the areas where women with osteoporosis are most likely to break their bones) and has a good tolerability profile over three years. This is important because side effects are cited by patients as one of the major reasons why they do not continue with their osteoporosis treatment.

Professor Paul Miller of the Colorado Center for Bone Research, lead author of the MOBILE study, said tolerability is particularly important in treating postmenopausal osteoporosis as we know that the occurrence of side effects is one of the main reasons why patients stop taking their treatment.

"It may be that taking a tablet once a month, rather than more frequently, ultimately helps patients to stay on therapy so that they may gain maximum benefits," he said.

Further information presented at the latest ASBMR meeting has shown that the convenience of less frequent dosing and subsequently, less exposure to potential side effects associated with bishophonate treatment, are the main reasons why patients prefer once-monthly oral ibanronic acid.

In addition, data presented also showed that patients taking ibandronic acid were approximately 25 percent more likely to stay on their treatment during the first six months relative to women taking the weekly treatments.