Alendronate in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis

dThe following article reviews the results of 2 investigational Phase III t rials of alendronate. Alendronate has been found to induce clinically signi ficant increases in bone mineral density at the spine, hip and other cortic al and trabecular sites while maintaining bone quality thereby reducing the rate of vertebral fracture. Alendronate was revealed to be well tolerated, with a good safety profile; a dose of 10 mg daily offers the best risk:ben efit ratio and appears to be the optimal dosage for the treatment of establ ished postmenopausal osteoporosis. The persistence of bone gain with extend ed treatment offers a considerable advantage over currently available forms of therapy.