A new once-a-month drug will help women treat osteoporosis, the condition that causes bones to weaken and fracture easily, doctors said today.
A study looking at ibandronate (Bonviva) found that it was effective in increasing spine and hip bone density and reducing bone breakdown.
Researchers presenting the results at the American Society for Bone Mineral Research meeting, in Seattle, said the new drug could be a convenient alternative to the daily and weekly bisphosphonate drugs taken by many women.
In the UK an estimated 3 million people suffer from osteoporosis. The condition is thought to cause 50,000 arm and 60,000 hip fractures a year, costing the NHS and other public services more than £1.7bn.
But the latest research has shown that many women fail to stick to their current drug regimes, with many forgetting or giving up on their treatment. Strict dosing regimes and gastrointestinal side-effects have made taking the drugs difficult for some.
In the UK, research showed that up to 80% of women on once-daily bisphosphonate and 60% on once-weekly medication failed to last a year without quitting or failing to take it as directed.
Makers Roche and GlaxoSmithKline are now applying for a licence to market the once-monthly ibandronate in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. The daily version of the drug has a licence but is not commercially available in the UK.
Researcher Cyrus Cooper, professor of rheumatology at Southampton University, said: "Ibandronate as a once-monthly formulation may be more convenient for many patients than currently available bisphosphonates.
"Less frequent dosing may cause less disruption to patients' daily routine and help them stay on therapy, which is critical since osteoporosis is a chronic disease that requires patients to take medication as prescribed over the long-term to derive the most benefit."
Dr Pam Brown, a GP from Swansea, said many patients stopped taking their therapy because osteoporosis was often symptom-free and the strict dosing rules and side-effects made taking it difficult.
"Patients have been found to be better at taking the weekly rather than the daily dosed oral bisphosphonate, suggesting that less frequent dosing regimens may further improve adherence and, therefore, long-term clinical outcomes," she said.
Jackie Parrington, the deputy chief executive of the National Osteoporosis Society, added: "Osteoporosis is a serious condition leading to fractures that affect a third of all post-menopausal women in the UK.
"These new results with ibandronate are very promising, and may offer doctors and patients a useful new treatment option leading to improved adherence."
