Ibandronate: A Review in Japanese Patients with Osteoporosis

Once-monthly intravenous (IV) ibandronate (Bonviva(®)) 1 mg and once-monthly oral ibandronate 100 mg are approved in Japan for the treatment of osteoporosis. In two well-designed trials in Japanese patients with primary osteoporosis, IV ibandronate 1 mg once monthly was noninferior to oral risedronate 2.5 mg once daily in terms of the cumulative incidence of new or worsening vertebral fractures at 3 years (MOVER trial) and oral ibandronate 100 mg once monthly was noninferior to IV ibandronate 1 mg once monthly in terms of the increase from baseline in lumbar spine bone mineral density at 12 months (MOVEST trial). Once-monthly IV and oral ibandronate were generally well tolerated in patients with osteoporosis. In conclusion, once-monthly IV and oral ibandronate are useful options for the treatment of Japanese patients with osteoporosis.