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Boniva may reduce bone loss in patients with RA using glucocorticoids
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Patients with rheumatoid arthritis taking long-term glucocorticoids showed reductions in markers for bone loss after 48 weeks of receiving Boniva monthly, according to study results presented at the European League Against Rheumatism Annual European Congress of Rheumatology.
Researchers studied 211 women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) from 13 centers in South Korea. All patients received the prednisolone-equivalent 5 mg or higher dose of glucocorticoids for at least 3 consecutive months and demonstrated an L1-4T score of between 1 and 2.5 on dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.
One hundred sixty-seven of the patients were randomly assigned to receive either Boniva (ibandronate sodium, Genentech) or placebo (mean age: 54.5 years and 55.1 years, respectively), and all received 1,500 mg calcium carbonate and 400 IU cholecalciferol for 48 weeks. Baseline patient characteristics were similar between groups, according to the researchers.
At 48 weeks, serum C-terminal telopeptide was significantly lower in the treatment group compared with those who received placebo. No incident fracture occurred in either group, and the safety profile appeared to be similar between groups. – by Shirley Pulawski
Reference:
Shin K, et al. Paper #SAT0286. Presented at: European League Against Rheumatism Annual European Congress of Rheumatology; June 10-13, 2015; Rome.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.