Osteoporosis may be treated with strontium ranelate

UK had licensed the use of strontium ranelate to be used for treating patients with osteoporosis, but scientists caution that before prescribing the drug it is important to observe the changes in the bone mineral density.

A study in the British Medical Journal has said that the drug strontium ranelate have an effect on the bone mineral density and notes that this effect can be used in advantage of the treatment procedure. The recent studies on the drug had shown the drug to be effective in treating both vertebral and non-vertebral fractures that happen in osteoporosis. In the treatment, strontium, the natural trace mineral that is present in the bones is simply returned to the bodies with the drug administration. The drug had showed good tolerance in the clinical trials with little side effects.

However, the researchers feel that the drug had not been tested enough on humans to find out how long the effects of the drug remain in the bones once the treatment is stopped. Also it needs to be seen if in the long term the mineral density of the bones remain the same or gets altered again after the treatment is discontinued.

Reference: British Medical Journal, June 2005