[New development in bisphosphonate treatment. Fracture prevention by bisphosphonates]

Alendronate and risedronate have been the standard regimens in the pharmacological intervention of osteoporosis based on their accumulated evidences of fracture prevention. At the start of bisphosphonate therapy, fracture risk assessment should be conducted for each patient, and the indication to use other drugs should be paid attention according to the patients' situation. At present, combination therapy with other drugs needs clinical decision at each clinical setting. A large scale prospective study is being conducted in Japan to answer the question whether the combination therapy with alendroate and alfacaldidol is more effective than alendronate alone to prevent fractures.