DIDRONEL SAFE FOR LONG-TERM USE

Long-term use of Norwich Eaton's new osteoporosis treatment Did- ronel (etidronic acid) can help increase bone mass without major side effects, according to preliminary results from an ongoing US study. Didronel has recently been approved in the UK for use in individuals with established osteoporosis of the spine (Marketletter November 18, 1991), but has been available in that country as a treatment for Paget's disease for more than ten years.

The multicenter study involves 267 women with osteoporosis who were at high risk of experiencing fractures. The women receiving Didronel showed a significant increase in bone density after their first year of treatment, and this positive effect was maintained, albeit to a lesser extent, right up to the fourth year of the study. The third-year results were such that those women previously receiving placebo were switched to the treatment arm of the study.