Alendronate soluble solution: a higher adherence rate in the treatment of osteoporosis.

INTRODUCTION

Since low adherence to a long-term therapy results in a poor clinical outcome and significantly increases healthcare costs, adherence to the treatment of chronic disorders is an issue of great interest. This is particularly true of the treatment of osteoporosis (OP).

PURPOSE OF STUDY

Adherence to the osteoporosis therapy in patients treated with bisphosphonates in tablet form has been evaluated in comparison with the adherence of those taking alendronate in soluble solution.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Here we present a retrospective study of 245 patients treated with alendronate, risedronate and ibandronate tablets and a prospective study of 118 patients treated with soluble alendronate. In both studies, patients have been observed for a period of 12 months.

RESULTS

The analysis of patients' persistence with the treatment plan, assessed at three, six and 12 months, revealed a significantly higher adherence (p < 0.005) in the cohort of patients treated with soluble alendronate (92.37% at 12 months) compared with those who followed the course of treatment with tablets (65.4 %, 12 months).

CONCLUSIONS

The investigation showed higher adherence to the oral therapy with soluble alendronate, demonstrating that a formulation obtained by this method can contribute to a higher level of persistence with the treatment of a disease such as osteoporosis, which requires a long-term therapeutic plan.