Strontium further improves lumbar spine bone mineral density in osteoporotic women previously treated with drugs

Researchers at the Department of Endocrinology, 424 Military Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece state that Teriparatide (TPTD—recombinant human parathyroid hormone 1-34) markedly increases bone mineral density (BMD) and reduces fracture risk. They wanted to test the ability of sequential treatment with an antiresorptive agent to preserve or further increase BMD.  

Strontium ranelate (SR) uncouples bone remodeling resulting in increased BMD and reduced fracture risk. Nineteen out of the consecutive 23 initially recruited postmenopausal Caucasian women (mean age of 66) with established osteoporosis completed treatment with TPTD, 20 mug daily for 18 months, followed by SR 2 g daily for 12 months. At this point the lumbar spine BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) pre- and post-TPTD administration, as well as twelve months post-SR administration. Blood samples for bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BSAP) and C-terminal telopeptide of type 1 collagen (CTx) were obtained at the same time points.  

Lumbar spine BMD increased significantly after 18 months of TPTD and further improved with sequential SR treatment. Serum BSAP and CTx increased significantly with TPTD and reduced to baseline levels after SR treatment. In conclusion, the data shows that SR following TPTD administration further increases BMD and could represent an effective sequential treatment. The study is published in the Feb 9, 2009 issue of the journal Hormone and Metabolic Research.