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Low dose HRT can increase postmenopausal BMD

Up to 20% of a woman’s expected lifetime bone loss can occur in the years immediately following menopause.

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New data from the Women’s Health, Osteoporosis, Progestin and Estrogen Study show low doses of hormone replacement drugs can significantly increase bone mineral density at the spine and hip in postmenopausal women.

The HOPE study, a prospective, randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled trial, evaluated the efficacy of Premarin (conjugated estrogens tablets) and Prempro (conjugated estrogens/medroxyprogesterone acetate) for the relief of moderate to severe menopausal symptoms in 2673 healthy postmenopausal women.

The new data is based on the 24-month results of a substudy involving 822 women randomly assigned to one of eight treatment groups. Premarin patients received a single daily dose of either 0.625 mg, 0.45 mg or 0.3 mg of the drug. Patients in the Prempro groups received either a single daily dose containing 0.625 mg conjugated estrogens (CE) and 2.5 mg medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), 0.45 mg CE and 2.5 mg MPA, 0.45 mg CE and 1.5 mg MPA, or 0.3 mg CE and 1.5 mg MPA. All patients were compared to a placebo group.

At 24 months follow-up, 63.2% to 79.1% of women taking low doses of Premarin or Prempro showed significant gains in spine bone mineral density (BMD) compared to 17.7% of women taking placebo, according to a press release from Wyeth, makers of the drugs.

Researchers also noted increases in hip BMD at 24 months among 65.5% to 76.9% of women on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) compared to 43.5% of women receiving placebo.

“While previous research has shown the overall change in BMD for the population studied, this study goes further by documenting the percentage of women taking low doses of Premarin or Prempro who are likely to experience BMD gains,” Robert Lindsay, MD, PhD, lead author of the study and director at the Clinical Research Center, Helen Hayes Hospital, N.Y., said in the press release.

“This information may be important when making treatment recommendations for women with menopausal symptoms who are also at risk of developing osteoporosis,” he added.

For more information:

• Wyeth Pharmaceuticals; Web site: www.wyeth.com.