Osteopenia Medication you can take once a month
Another bisphsphonate has joined Fosamx and Actonel as an approved Osteopenia medication. Boniva or Bonviva, as it is known in Europe, can be prescribed in a once a month dosage. Boniva, a new Osteoporosis or Osteopenia medication, was approved for weekly use in 2003. But the makers, GlaxoSmithKline and Roche, waited for the once a month approval before bringing the drug to market. Boniva is used to treat or prevent Osteoporosis in women after menopause. As such it can be used as an Osteopenia medication. The drug company Roache stated, "Boniva has been developed both as an intravenous injection and as a once-monthly oral formulation. Intravenous Boniva is administered every 2-3 months, and is a short, convenient 15-30 second injection. It is not subject to the restrictions associated with the intake of oral bisphosphonates (fasting before intake, remaining upright and additional fasting after intake, and gastrointestinal side effects). Intravenous Boniva is well tolerated and safe. Side effects observed in clinical trials included transient bone or muscle pain and influenza-like symptoms." Frequently asked questions about Boniva, a once monthly Osteoporosis or Osteopenia medication. - How does Boniva work?
Boniva, like other bisphosphonates that are prescribed as Osteoporosis or Osteopenia medication, works by inhibiting osteclast activity and so it slows the removal of bone. - How is it different from Fosamax and Acontel?
Unlike Fosamax and Acontel, Boniva can be taken once a month or given as in injection even less frequently. Some believe that a once a month dosage will encourage patients to keep to their full course of Osteopenia medication treatment. Bisphosphonates need to be taken as the first item of the day, on an empty stomach and nothing may be eaten or drunk fora half hour afterwards. Also, those who use the drugs are advised to remain upright for the entire time and so it is not possible to take a pill and go back to bed for a half hour. Many find the inconveniece too great and they stop using their prescriptions. It is hoped that inconvenience only once a month will make this Osteopenia medication more useful. - What questions should I raise with my health care provider when we discuss this drug as an Osteopenia medication?
Be sure to discuss any of the following with your health care provider when considering this Osteopenia medication: - if you have low blood calcium (hypocalcemia)
- if you have poor kidney function
- if you cannot sit or stand up for at least 1 hour (60 minutes) in the morning before eating.
- if you have swallowing problems or other problems with your esophagus (the tube that connects your mouth and stomach).
- if you have allergies ( you may be allergic to ibandronate sodium some other ingredients of Boniva)
- if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant
- if you are breast-feeding.
- Also, be sure to tell your health care provider the names of all the medicines you take. Include prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins and/or supplements since some of these could interfere with the effectiveness of this drug.
- Are there any warnings or side effects for Boniva as an Osteopenia medication?
Boniva may cause serious problems in your esophagus or stomach such as trouble swallowing, heartburn, and ulcers. If you have chest pain, heartburn, stomach pain or trouble swallowing, stop taking Boniva immediately and call your health care provider before taking additional doses of this drug as your Osteopenia medication.Some people exerience other side effects from the drug: upset stomach, diarrhea or pain in their arms or legs.
Research about Boniva as an Osteoporosis or Osteopenia medication
1. In June 2003 there was an article about Boniva, ibandronate, as an Osteoporosis or Osteopenia medication in the International Journal of Clinical Practice . Jun;57(5):417-22."Ibandronate: a potent new bisphosphonate in the management of postmenopausal osteoporosis." by SE Papapoulos. Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands. ABSTRACT:
Osteoporosis is a serious, common skeletal disease. Oral bisphosphonates are among the most effective therapeutics available to manage this condition. Currently, bisphosphonates are administered orally either daily or once weekly. Less frequent dosing, while retaining efficacy, may provide greater convenience, thereby promoting long-term adherence to treatment and maximising therapeutic outcomes. Ibandronate is a highly potent nitrogen-containing bisphosphonate that has been given orally or intravenously at variable dosing intervals for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Recent studies with oral ibandronate, given daily or intermittently with a between-dose interval longer than two months to women with postmenopausal osteoporosis, demonstrated significant and sustained antifracture efficacy. Additional studies showed that ibandronate given as a convenient intravenous injection every three months induces significant increases in bone mineral density and suppression of bone turnover. Ongoing studies aim to determine the optimal therapeutic regimen of this promising new bisphosphonate in clinical practice. 2. Another report addressed the versatility of the drug. "Ibandronate: new options in the treatment of osteoporosis." by S. Adami and O. Viapiana of the Department of heumatology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy. ABSTRACT:
Bisphosphonates are currently considered the treatment of choice for corticosteroid-induced male osteoporosis and represent one of the options for the prevention and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. The treatment of osteoporosis with antiresorbing agents requires long-lasting or even lifelong therapies. Oral bisphosphonates are reasonably well tolerated, but a sizable proportion of patients report esophageal symptoms which are occasionally severe. In addition, their intestinal absorption is only 0.5-1% and the presence of any residual food in the stomach completely blocks absorption. Intravenous bisphosphonate administration, which avoids the upper gastrointestinal tolerability concerns associated with oral regimens, may be of considerable value for many patients such as elderly and institutionalized patients because it ensures full treatment compliance, but the intravenous route has to be used with caution since acute renal failure has been observed following the intravenous administration of several bisphosphonates and prolonged intravenous infusions can also be potentially associated with thrombotic complications and infections. Bisphosphonate dosing by intravenous injection could provide a convenient alternative to intravenous infusion that would be suitable for use in the primary care setting and would avoid many of the complications associated with prolonged infusions. This option is viable with the highly potent, nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates such as ibandronate, which, unlike other lower potency bisphosphonates, can be administered as an intravenous injection of only a few milligrams in regimens with extended between-dose intervals. In this review, the data obtained with ibandronate, using both oral administration and intravenous injection, for the treatment and prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis are summarized. 3. A third study about this Osteoporosis and Osteopenia medication documents that the a monthly dose, as well as daily doses of Bonvia, produced favorable bone density results. Journal Bone Miner Res.. 2001 Oct;16(10):1871-8. "Ibandronate: a comparison of oral daily dosing versus intermittent dosing in postmenopausal osteoporosis." by BJ Riis,J Ise, T.von Stein, Y Bagger and C. Christiansen. Center for Clinical and Basic Research, Ballerup, Denmark.
4. An article related to Boniva as an Osteoporosis or Osteopenia medication that can prevent fractures can be found in Curr Med Res Opin. 2005 Mar;21(3):391-402. "Ibandronate produces significant, similar antifracture efficacy in North American and European women: new clinical findings from BONE." by CH Chesnut, MP Ettinger, PD Miller, DJ Baylink, R Emkey, ST Harris, RD Wasnich, NB Watts, RC Schimmer, RR Recker.Osteoporosis Research Group, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: BONE (oral iBandronate Osteoporosis vertebral fracture trial in North America and Europe) determined whether less frequent dosing of ibandronate (dose-free interval > 2 months) provided similar antifracture efficacy to daily dosing. As osteoporosis medications must be effective across different populations, an additional objective of BONE was to investigate and report the effect of oral ibandronate in North American and European women, as described here. PATIENTS AND METHODS: BONE was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, fractureprevention study in 2946 postmenopausal women (age 55 years-80 years; >/= 5 years since menopause) with osteoporosis (low lumbar spine bone mineral density and one to four prevalent vertebral fractures [T4-L4]). Participants received daily calcium (500 mg) and vitamin D (400 IU) plus either placebo, oral daily ibandronate (2.5 mg) or oral intermittent ibandronate (20 mg every other day for 12 doses every 3 months). The efficacy and tolerability of ibandronate were assessed independently in both North American and European populations. RESULTS: Consistent, significant efficacy was observed in the North American (new vertebral fracture risk reduction: 60% and 54% with daily and intermittent ibandronate, respectively) and European patient populations (50% and 48%, respectively). Both ibandronate regimens also significantly reduced the incidence of new, worsening, and acute clinical, vertebral fractures. Daily and intermittent ibandronate significantly increased bone density at the spine in both North American (5.4% and 4.4% vs. baseline with daily and intermittent ibandronate, respectively) and European (7.1% and 6.3% vs. baseline, respectively) populations. Significant increases were also observed for total hip bone density (2.6% and 3.7% vs. baseline for daily, and 2.5% and 3.1% for intermittent; North American and European populations, respectively). Comparable, significant decreases in biochemical markers of bone turnover (reductions in urinary excretion of C-telopeptide levels of 53.5% and 67.1% vs. baseline for daily, and 50.0% and 53.8% for intermittent; North American and European populations, respectively) were also observed in both populations (p < 0.004 for all cited measurements in each ibandronate group vs. placebo). Oral ibandronate was well tolerated in both North American and European patients, with a safety profile similar to placebo. CONCLUSIONS: Oral ibandronate, administered daily or intermittently, effectively reduced vertebral fracture risk in North American and European women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. These results demonstrate the efficacy of ibandronate administered with extended dose-free intervals, regardless of patients' geographical origin. Research investigating other less frequent ibandronate regimens, such as once-monthly oral administration, is underway.
If you want to read the manufacturer's page about this drug, go to Boniva
Read about other Osteopenia medication or you can go to Alternative medicine treatments for Osteopenia
Terms and Conditions of Use -
|
