Skip Navigation
American College of Physicians Logo
  • Subscribe
  • Submit a Manuscript
  • Sign In
    Sign in below to access your subscription for full content
    INDIVIDUAL SIGN IN
    Sign In|Set Up Account
    You will be directed to acponline.org to register and create your Annals account
    INSTITUTIONAL SIGN IN
    Open Athens|Shibboleth|Log In
    Annals of Internal Medicine
    SUBSCRIBE
    Subscribe to Annals of Internal Medicine.
    You will be directed to acponline.org to complete your purchase.
Annals of Internal Medicine Logo Menu
  • Latest
  • Issues
  • Channels
  • CME/MOC
  • In the Clinic
  • Journal Club
  • Web Exclusives
  • Author Info
Advanced Search
  • ‹ PREV ARTICLE
  • This Issue
  • NEXT ARTICLE ›
Summaries for Patients |3 May 2005

Cost-Effectiveness of Alendronate in Postmenopausal Women with Low Bone Mass without Osteoporosis or Previous Fracture

Article, Author, and Disclosure Information
Author, Article, and Disclosure Information

  • The summary below is from the full report titled “Cost-Effectiveness of Alendronate Therapy for Osteopenic Postmenopausal Women.” It is in the 3 May 2005 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine (volume 142, pages 734-741). The authors are J.T. Schousboe, J.A. Nyman, R.L. Kane, and K.E. Ensrud.


Summaries for Patients are a service provided by Annals to help patients better understand the complicated and often mystifying language of modern medicine.
Summaries for Patients are presented for informational purposes only. These summaries are not a substitute for advice from your own medical provider. If you have questions about this material, or need medical advice about your own health or situation, please contact your physician. The summaries may be reproduced for not-for-profit educational purposes only. Any other uses must be approved by the American College of Physicians.
×
  • ‹ PREV ARTICLE
  • This Issue
  • NEXT ARTICLE ›
Jump To
  • Full Article
  • FULL ARTICLE
  • FULL ARTICLE
    • What is the problem and what is known about it so far?
    • Why did the researchers do this particular study?
    • Who was studied?
    • How was the study done?
    • What did the researchers find?
    • What were the limitations of the study?
    • What are the implications of the study?
  • Figures
  • Tables
  • Supplements
  • Audio/Video
  • Summary for Patients
  • Clinical Slide Sets
  • CME / MOC
  • Comments
  • Twitter Link
  • Facebook Link
  • Email Link
More
  • LinkedIn Link

What is the problem and what is known about it so far?

Bone loss commonly occurs among women after menopause and can lead to fractures. Alendronate is a medicine that can prevent or slow bone loss. Osteopenia is the medical term for bones that are less dense. Severe loss of bone density is called osteoporosis. The risk for bone fractures is greater with osteoporosis than with osteopenia. Doctors use a special test called dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) to measure bone density. Treatment with alendronate or another medicine in the same class has become standard practice for people with osteoporosis or those who have had a fracture because of osteopenia. However, whether the potential costs and side effects of alendronate are worth the potential benefits for women with osteopenia but without osteoporosis or previous fracture is less clear.

Why did the researchers do this particular study?

To find out whether the potential costs and side effects of alendronate are worth the potential benefits for postmenopausal women with osteopenia but without osteoporosis or previous fracture.

Who was studied?

Rather than studying actual patients, the researchers used a computer model to simulate what would happen to a “virtual” group of postmenopausal women 55 to 75 years of age who had osteopenia but no osteoporosis or previous fracture.

How was the study done?

The researchers used published studies to estimate the costs and outcomes of 2 treatment strategies: 5 years of alendronate therapy or no drug treatment. The costs included the costs of the drug and monitoring patients taking it, and the benefits included prevention of fractures and complications of fractures.

What did the researchers find?

The researchers estimated that 5 years of alendronate treatment for postmenopausal women with osteopenia but without osteoporosis or previous fracture would cost between $70,000 and $332,000 per year of healthy life that it saved. This amount is more than Americans are typically willing to pay for health care interventions. However, if alendronate became less expensive or new studies showed that alendronate reduces fractures in osteopenia more than current studies suggest, then it would become a more attractive treatment option.

What were the limitations of the study?

This study was a computer simulation, so we cannot be sure what the results would be in actual patients. However, studies of this problem using actual patients are unlikely to be done soon (if ever).

What are the implications of the study?

Alendronate does not seem to be an economically attractive option for postmenopausal women with osteopenia but without osteoporosis or previous fracture.

This feature is available only to Registered Users

Subscribe/Learn More
Submit a Comment

0 Comments

PDF
Not Available
Citations
Citation

Cost-Effectiveness of Alendronate in Postmenopausal Women with Low Bone Mass without Osteoporosis or Previous Fracture. Ann Intern Med. 2005;142:I–36. doi: https://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-142-9-200505030-00002

Download citation file:

  • Ris (Zotero)
  • EndNote
  • BibTex
  • Medlars
  • ProCite
  • RefWorks
  • Reference Manager

© 2020

×
Permissions

Published: Ann Intern Med. 2005;142(9):I-36.

DOI: 10.7326/0003-4819-142-9-200505030-00002

©
2005 American College of Physicians
0 Citations
Advertisement

See Also
Cost-Effectiveness of Alendronate Therapy for Osteopenic Postmenopausal Women
View MoreView Less

Related Articles
In postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, romosozumab followed by alendronate reduced fractures vs alendronate alone
Annals of Internal Medicine; 168 (2): JC3
Cost-Effectiveness of Different Screening Strategies for Osteoporosis in Postmenopausal Women
Annals of Internal Medicine; 155 (11): 751-761
Update in Endocrinology
Annals of Internal Medicine; 147 (8): 563-572
Cost-Effectiveness of Fracture Prevention in Men Who Receive Androgen Deprivation Therapy for Localized Prostate Cancer
Annals of Internal Medicine; 152 (10): 621-629
View MoreView Less

Journal Club
In postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, romosozumab followed by alendronate reduced fractures vs alendronate alone
Annals of Internal Medicine; 168 (2): JC3
Review: Teriparatide reduces fractures in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis
Annals of Internal Medicine; 157 (6): JC3-4
Review: Osteoporosis drugs may improve BMD and reduce fractures in some patients with CKD
Annals of Internal Medicine; 167 (4): JC19
In postmenopausal women with breast cancer treated with aromatase inhibitors, denosumab reduced fractures
Annals of Internal Medicine; 163 (6): JC11
View MoreView Less

Related Point of Care
Osteoporosis
Annals of Internal Medicine; 167 (3): ITC17-ITC32
Osteoporosis
Annals of Internal Medicine; 155 (1): ITC1-1
Hip Fracture
Annals of Internal Medicine; 155 (11): ITC6-1
View MoreView Less

Related Topics
Endocrine and Metabolism
Metabolic Bone Disorders

Endocrine and Metabolism, Metabolic Bone Disorders.

PubMed Articles
Bone in heart failure.
J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle 2020.
Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of a Video Self-Help Intervention for Depression based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Feasibility and Acceptability.
Clin Psychol Psychother 2020.
View More

Results provided by: PubMed

Advertisement
CME/MOC Activity Requires Users to be Registered and Logged In.
Sign in below to access your subscription for full content
INDIVIDUAL SIGN IN
Sign In|Set Up Account
You will be directed to acponline.org to register and create your Annals account
Annals of Internal Medicine
CREATE YOUR FREE ACCOUNT
Create Your Free Account|Why?
To receive access to the full text of freely available articles, alerts, and more. You will be directed to acponline.org to complete your registration.
×
The Comments Feature Requires Users to be Registered and Logged In.
Sign in below to access your subscription for full content
INDIVIDUAL SIGN IN
Sign In|Set Up Account
You will be directed to acponline.org to register and create your Annals account
Annals of Internal Medicine
CREATE YOUR FREE ACCOUNT
Create Your Free Account|Why?
To receive access to the full text of freely available articles, alerts, and more. You will be directed to acponline.org to complete your registration.
×
link to top

Content

  • Home
  • Latest
  • Issues
  • Channels
  • CME/MOC
  • In the Clinic
  • Journal Club
  • Web Exclusives

Information For

  • Author Info
  • Reviewers
  • Press
  • Readers
  • Institutions / Libraries / Agencies
  • Advertisers

Services

  • Subscribe
  • Renew
  • Alerts
  • Current Issue RSS
  • Latest RSS
  • In the Clinic RSS
  • Reprints & Permissions
  • Contact Us
  • Help
  • About Annals
  • About Mobile
  • Patient Information
  • Teaching Tools
  • Annals in the News
  • Share Your Feedback

Awards and Cover

  • Personae (Cover Photo)
  • Junior Investigator Awards
  • Poetry Prize

Other Resources

  • ACP Online
  • Career Connection
  • ACP Advocate Blog
  • ACP Journal Wise

Follow Annals On

  • Twitter Link
  • Facebook Link
acp link acp
silverchair link silverchair

Copyright © 2020 American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.

Print ISSN: 0003-4819 | Online ISSN: 1539-3704

Privacy Policy

|

Conditions of Use

This site uses cookies. By continuing to use our website, you are agreeing to our privacy policy. | Accept
×

You need a subscription to this content to use this feature.

×
PDF Downloads Require Access to the Full Article.
Sign in below to access your subscription for full content
INDIVIDUAL SIGN IN
Sign In|Set Up Account
You will be directed to acponline.org to register and create your Annals account
INSTITUTIONAL SIGN IN
Open Athens|Shibboleth|Log In
Annals of Internal Medicine
PURCHASE OPTIONS
Buy This Article|Subscribe
You will be redirected to acponline.org to sign-in to Annals to complete your purchase.
CREATE YOUR FREE ACCOUNT
Create Your Free Account|Why?
To receive access to the full text of freely available articles, alerts, and more. You will be directed to acponline.org to complete your registration.
×
Access to this Free Content Requires Users to be Registered and Logged In. Please Choose One of the Following Options
Sign in below to access your subscription for full content
INDIVIDUAL SIGN IN
Sign In|Set Up Account
You will be directed to acponline.org to register and create your Annals account
Annals of Internal Medicine
CREATE YOUR FREE ACCOUNT
Create Your Free Account|Why?
To receive access to the full text of freely available articles, alerts, and more. You will be directed to acponline.org to complete your registration.
×