Safety and effectiveness of teriparatide vs alendronate in postmenopausal osteoporosis: a prospective non randomized clinical study

In this work we study the safety and effectiveness of teri-paratide and alendronate in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis at high risk of fracture; it was a double-blinded and it was done by examining the comparisons between teriparatide 20 mu g/day and alendronate 10 mg/day. Safety and effectiveness analyses were based on data from 355 woman with a mean age of 68 years. Two groups (A and B) with T-score <=-2.5 at bone mineral density were analyzed and 3 or more vertebral fractures on radiograph. Group A: was treated with teriparatide 20 mu g/day and composed from 182 women, in post-menopausal age, without a history of cancer. Group B: was treated with alendronate 10 mg/day composed from 173 women, postmenopausal age, with previous history of cancer (non-active during the study). Clinical evaluations were on bone turnover markers (alkaline phosphatase, procollagene type 1 N-terminal propeptide, and N-telopeptide cross-links), dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and health-related quality of life (HrQoL). Safety was assessed by reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs). The results of this study imply that teriparatide comparated with alendronate has a favorable safety profile and is effective in the treatment of patients with osteoporosis at high risk of fracture.