Osteoporosis Drug Given By IV May Greatly Lowers Risk Of Fractures For Women In Earlier Stages Of Bone Loss
"I think it's a breakthrough," Clifford Rosen, an endocrinologist and physician, said of the study. While researchers have known that older women with osteoporosis benefit from drugs called bisphosphonates, this study supports their value for younger women with less brittle bones. Some, however, remain cautious. In other news on aging, two big studies focus on Alzheimer's prevention.
The Associated Press:
Study Suggests More Older Women May Benefit From Bone Drugs
A bone-strengthening drug given by IV every 18 months greatly lowered the risk of fracture in certain older women, a large study found. The results suggest these medicines might help more people than those who get them now and can be used less often, too. (10/1)
NPR:
Zoledronate Cuts Bone Fracture Risk In Elderly Women
"This is an extremely important paper," says Dr. Ethel Siris, a Columbia University medical professor who specializes in thinning bones and wasn't involved in the study. "We now know that we have a therapy that has been shown to be highly effective." The findings were published Monday in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at a meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research in Montreal. (Stein, 10/1)
The Associated Press:
Studies In Healthy Older People Aim To Prevent Alzheimer's
It may be too late to stop Alzheimer's in people who already have some mental decline. But what if a treatment could target the very earliest brain changes while memory and thinking skills are still intact, in hope of preventing the disease? Two big studies are going all out to try. Clinics throughout the United States and some other countries are signing up participants — the only studies of this type enrolling healthy older people. (10/2)
