[Cost-effectiveness of hip fracture prevention]

We estimated the Cost Per Avoided Hip Fracture (CPAHF, millions Lira) by osteoporosis treatment, on the basis of a review on randomized controlled trials. Prevention with vitamin D3 in institutionalized elderly women is cost-neutral (CPAHF = -4; 95% CI = -9, +5). Prevention with alendronate in non-institutionalized women screened on bone mineral density generates doubts (CPAHF = 275; 95% CI = 146, 19.426). The cost-effectiveness analyses can strengthen or weaken conclusions of the clinical trials and discourage the use of economically unsustainable preventive treatments whose efficacy is unproven.