Bisphosphonates in current clinical practice: focus on ibandronate

Bisphosphonates in current clinical practice: focus on ibandronate

N.V. Toroptsova¹, O.M. Lesnyak² 

¹V.A. Nasonova Research Institute of Rheumatology, Moscow

²North-Western State Medical University named after I.I. Mechnikov, St. Petersburg 

Life expectancy is increasing worldwide. In Russia, the percentage of people over 50 is expected to be 40% by 2035. Therefore, studying diseases associated with older age is relevant.

Osteoporosis (OP) is a chronic disease that is most common in older people. Its manifestation is low-energy fractures of vertebral bodies, proximal femur and the peripheral skeleton. Osteoporotic fractures increase disability and mortality in older patients. In the next decade, the incidence of these fractures is expected to increase in both women and men. Therefore, prevention, timely diagnosis, and treatment for OP are crucial. For more than 30 years, bisphosphonates (BPs) have been the first-line treatment for this disease. Currently, nitrogen-containing BPs that prevent bone destruction are used to treat OP. The efficacy and safety of this class of drugs have been established by numerous studies and many years of clinical practice. One of the most popular drugs is ibandronate, and its efficacy and safety for postmenopausal OP has been demonstrated in both randomized, placebo-controlled clinical studies and population-based observational studies.

Keywords: osteoporosis, bisphosphonates, ibandronate, adherence to treatment, treatment duration.

For citation: Toroptsova N.V., Lesnyak O.M. Bisphosphonates in current clinical practice: focus on ibandronate. RMJ. 2023;10:13–16.