The potential impact of new effervescent alendronate formulation on compliance and persistence in osteoporosis treatment

Osteoporotic fractures are a public health problem and their incidence and subsequent economic and social costs are expected to rise in the next future. Different drugs have been developed to reduce osteoporosis and the risk of osteoporotic fractures, and among them, antiresorptive agents, and in particular oral alendronate, are the most widely utilized. However, one of the most common problems with antiresorptive drugs is poor adherence to treatment, which is associated with a high fracture incidence and with an increase in hospitalization costs. One of the main reasons of poor adherence to these treatments is the occurrence of adverse events, mainly at gastrointestinal (GI) level, including dyspepsia, dysphagia, and esophageal ulcers. In light of these considerations the aim of this paper is to perform a literature review to show the pathophysiologic bases of GI alendronate-induced adverse events and how new bisphosphonate formulations like effervescent alendronate can improve compliance and persistence to treatment and decrease the fracture rate incidence in osteoporotic patients.