For Bisphosphonate Therapy, Longer Is Not Necessarily Better

Although bisphosphonates' efficacy in preventing fragility fractures is well established, questions persist about optimal duration of use. Some 97,000 participants in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) observational and randomized trials completed medication forms. Among a subgroup of 5120 women (mean age, 80; 94% white) with estimated 5-year hip fracture risk ≥1.5% and ≥2 years of self-reported bisphosphonate use, investigators assessed risk for incident fractures following various durations of bisphosphonate therapy (2 years, 3–5 years, 6–9 years, and 10–13 years).

During additional mean follow-up of 3.7 years, fracture rates were 2% for hip fractures, 3% for radius or forearm fractures, 5% for clinical vertebral fractures, and 26% for an…