This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
VIDEO: Select patients may benefit from bisphosphonate holidays
ORLANDO, Fla. — In this video, AACE President Pauline Camacho, MD, FACE, discusses her approach to osteoporosis management.
Rare medication side effects are worrisome for patients and make convincing them to adhere to fraction prevention regimens more difficult. Camacho outlines how she manages long-term use of bisphosphonates and extended breaks in therapy, or drug holidays.
A patient with moderate risk — for example, a 60-year-old woman with no fracture history and T score –2.5, prescribed Fosamax (alendronate, Merck) for 5 years — can safely discontinue her medication for an extended period, according to Camacho. In contrast, a short drug holiday might not be considered until after 10 years of treatment for a high-risk patient — for example, an 80-year-old woman with a history of several compression fractures, treated with risedronate for 5 years — and that patient should continue nonbisphosphonate therapies, such as Forteo (teriparatide, Eli Lilly and Company) or Evista (raloxifene, Eli Lilly and Company).
New therapies for osteoporosis in the pipeline include the synthetic parathyroid hormone abaloparatide (Radius Health), the cathepsin K inhibitor odanacatib (Merck) and the humanized monoclonal antibody romosozumab (Amgen), according to Camacho.