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Clinicians should address the prevention or treatment of osteoporosis in patients taking glucocorticoids. In this randomized trial, researchers compared alendronate (Fosamax) and teriparatide (Forteo; the recombinant human parathyroid hormone that stimulates bone formation) in 428 patients who were taking steroids, mostly for rheumatologic disorders. All patients had received the equivalent of at least 5 mg of prednisone daily for at least 3 months, and had either bone-mineral density (BMD) T scores of –2.0 or less, or previous fragility fractures plus T scores of –1.0 or less. The study was supported by the maker of teriparatide, which employs five of the eight authors.
Patients received subcutaneous teriparatide or oral alendronate daily, …