Copyright © 2001 by the BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.
Bisphosphonates for osteoporosis
Relevant BNF section: 6.6.2
One in three women and at least one in 12 men in the UK have osteoporosis, a condition which can lead to fractures, deformity, pain and disability, at a cost to the NHS of around £1.5 billion each year.1,2 Bisphosphonates offer a therapeutic option for preventing and treating osteoporosis. Here, we assess and compare the three bisphosphonates (alendronate, etidronate and ▼risedronate*) licensed for such use in the UK. We do not consider the four bisphosphonates (clodronate, pamidronate, tiludronate and ▼zoledronate) that are licensed in the UK only for the treatment of Paget's disease of bone and/or hypercalcaemia of malignancy.
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