Intravenous ibandronate injections given every three months: a new treatment option to prevent bone loss in...

To investigate the efficacy, safety, and dose response of three doses of ibandronate, given intermittently by intravenous (IV) injection every three months, in preventing postmenopausal osteoporosis.

629 postmenopausal women, categorised according to time since menopause and baseline lumbar spine (L1-4) bone mineral density (BMD), were enrolled into a multicentre, double blind, placebo controlled trial. They were randomly allocated to receive IV ibandronate 0.5 mg, 1 mg or 2 mg, or placebo every three months. All women received daily calcium supplementation.

One year's treatment with intermittent IV ibandronate injections produced a dose dependent gain in mean (SD) lumbar spine BMD from baseline of 2.5 (2.5)%, 1.8 (2.6)%, and 1.0 (2.8)% in the groups receiving 2 mg, 1 mg, and 0.5 mg ibandronate, respectively, compared with a loss of BMD of 0.4 (2.4)% in the women in the placebo group; p=0.0001 for each ibandronate dose v placebo. Highest BMD gains occurred in women with osteopenia receiving 2 mg ibandronate. Similarly, at the hip, all three doses of ibandronate produced significantly better gains in BMD than placebo (p<0.05), with the greatest gains in the women with osteopenia receiving the 2 mg dose. Ibandronate concomitantly and dose dependently suppressed markers of bone turnover in comparison with placebo, and injections were well tolerated.

IV ibandronate injections, given every three months, may be an effective alternative to oral bisphosphonates and hormonal therapy in the prevention of bone loss in postmenopausal women.