Drug recommended for postmenopausal women at very high fracture risk but not at high risk for heart disease, stroke
TUESDAY, March 10, 2020 (HealthDay News) — In an Endocrine Society guideline update, published online in the March issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, recommendations are presented for the use of romosozumab in the pharmacological management of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.
Dolores Shoback, M.D., from the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and colleagues updated guidelines for the pharmacologic management of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women using romosozumab. Findings were reviewed from a meta-analysis and primary clinical trials assessing the efficacy of romosozumab.
For the reduction of vertebral, hip, and nonvertebral fractures, the authors recommend monthly subcutaneous injections of romosozumab for up to one year for postmenopausal women with osteoporosis at very high risk for fractures. Pending further studies on cardiovascular risk associated with treatment, women at high risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke should not be considered for romosozumab. To maintain bone mineral density gains and reduce fracture risk, treatment with antiresorptive osteoporosis therapy is recommended for postmenopausal women with osteoporosis who have completed a course of romosozumab.
“Romosozumab offers promising results for postmenopausal women with severe osteoporosis or who have a history of fractures,” a coauthor said in a statement. “It does, however, come with a risk of heart disease, so clinicians need to be careful when selecting patients for this therapy.”
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