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Compliance with osteoporosis medications
Daniel H Solomon1, Jerry Avorn, Jeffrey N Katz
1Divisions of Pharmacoepidemiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02120, USA. dhsolomon@partners.org
Archives of Internal Medicine
|November 17, 2005
Summary
Most osteoporosis patients do not adhere to their medication regimens. While some patient factors influence adherence, the reasons for poor compliance with osteoporosis drugs remain largely unexplained.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Geriatrics
- Public Health
Background:
- Osteoporosis pharmacologic treatment compliance is poorly understood.
- Suboptimal adherence is common in asymptomatic conditions.
- This study assesses osteoporosis medication compliance and its predictors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the level of compliance with osteoporosis medications.
- To identify factors associated with medication compliance in osteoporosis patients.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study using pharmacy claims data.
- Included patients aged 65+ initiating osteoporosis medication (1996-2002).
- Defined suboptimal compliance as <= 66% medication availability over 60 days.
Main Results:
- 45.2% of patients discontinued prescriptions within 1 year; 52.1% within 5 years.
- Predictors of compliance included female sex, younger age, fewer comorbidities, and prior fracture history.
- Significant patient variables explained only 6% of compliance variation.
Conclusions:
- The majority of patients initiate but do not sustain osteoporosis medication use.
- While patient characteristics correlate with compliance, they explain limited variability.
- Further research is needed to understand and improve osteoporosis medication adherence.