Actonel - the bisphosphonate Risedronate sodium
Bisphosphonate osteoporosis drugs
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Bisphosphonates work by mimicking the action of pyrophosphates, which are active in the inhibition of bone resorption in the bone modeling system. They belong to the class of antiresorptive agents, and some of the common bisphosphonate osteoporosis drugs include Fosamax, Actonel and Boniva. This section of osteoporosis takes a look at the bisphosphonate risedronate sodium that is manufactured by Proctor & Gamble under the name of Actonel.
The use of Actonel to prevent and treat osteoporotic fractures
Research carried out over a three year period showed that by taking Risedronate spine fractures could be reduced by 49% and non-spine fractures reduced by 36% in people who had already suffered spinal fractures.
The recommended dose for both the prevention and treatment of fractures is 5mg per day (35mg per week). The drug is rapidly absorbed into the system in about an hour in the gastric intestine. One of the advantages of Actonel over Fosamax is that it can be taken by people with renal insufficiency.
Research carried out on Actonel - Risedronate sodium
Research has been carried out into the efficiency of Actonel (Risedronate) in the USA. Patients were given either a daily dose of 5mg of Risedronate; or a placebo. It was found that the incidence of vertebral fractures that could be identified by radiographic methods was reduced by 44% in the people who took the risedronate sodium. The rates of non-vertebaral fractures was reduced by 39%.
The use of Risedronate sodium in this research resulted in a significant increase in bone mineral density, especially in the lumbar spine (5.4%), femoral trochanter (3.3%) and femoral neck (1.6%).
As with all bisphosphonates there are many known side effects with taken Actonal; these will be discussed as one in another section of the osteoporosis advice site.
References
Harris et al (1999). Effects of risedronate treatment on vertebral and nonvertebral fractures in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis: a randomized controlled trial: Vertebral Efficacy With Risedronate Therapy (VERT) Study Group: 1344 to1352.
Mayes (2007) Review of post menopausal osteoporosis pharmacology. Nutr. Clin. Prac. 22:3: 276 to 285