Comparative effects of calcitonin and clodronate in hypercalcaemia

Both calcitonin and clodronate inhibit bone resorption and have therefore been used as therapy for malignancy-associated hypercalcaemia. In order to evaluate their effects a compilation was made of data from 78 patients receiving oral or intravenous clodronate which was compared with a previous review of the effects of calcitonin. Both drugs induced significant reductions of serum calcium but the decrease was greater with clodronate, particularly when given intravenously. Whereas the response to calcitonin generally was of short duration, clodronate was capable of maintaining normal serum calcium values over several weeks with oral administration. Thus, from the clinical point of view clodronate is a very useful adjunct to the available therapy, but the limited experience so far has not fully outlined its position in the management of patients with hypercalcaemia.