Long-term treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis with strontium ranelate: results at 8 years.

OBJECTIVES: Strontium ranelate 2 g/day has proven efficacy against vertebral and nonvertebral fracture over 5 years in postmenopausal osteoporosis, though many women require longer-term treatment. This article describes the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of this agent over 8 years.

METHODS: Postmenopausal osteoporotic women having participated in the 5-year efficacy trials SOTI and TROPOS were invited to enter a 3-year open-label extension study. The results presented here focus on patients who received strontium ranelate for 8 years.

RESULTS: At the extension baseline, the population treated for 8 years (n=879; 79.1+/-5.6 years) had femoral neck T-score of -2.61+/-0.71. The cumulative incidences of new vertebral and nonvertebral fractures (13.7% and 12.0%, respectively) over years 6 to 8 were non-statistically different from the cumulative incidences in the first 3 years of the original studies (11.5% and 9.6%). Lumbar spine, femoral neck, and total hip bone mineral density (BMD) increased throughout the 8-year period. Annual relative change in BMD was significant at every visit, except the 8-year visit for femoral neck and total hip BMD. Strontium ranelate was safe and well tolerated over 8 years.

CONCLUSIONS: Long-term treatment with strontium ranelate 2 g/day in postmenopausal osteoporotic women leads to continued increases in BMD at all sites. The data also provide some evidence for a sustained antifracture efficacy.