"Half of UK women" fail to receive osteoporosis therapy

Only half of UK women at high risk of bone fractures receive preventative treatment under the National Health Service, according to research presented at the British Pharmaceutical Conference in Manchester, UK. The study was conducted by pharmacists in the north east of England, in Northumberland, where the hospital admission rates for hip fractures is among the highest in the country. Nearby North Tyneside, an area with a high mortality rate for people after falls, was also included in the study.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), the body that determines which drugs are provided by the NHS in England and Wales, recommends that women who have a previous fragility bone fracture or who are diagnosed with osteoporosis, as well as those aged over 75 with osteoporosis or who have had a fragility bone fracture, should receive treatment with calcium/vitamin D3 and bisphosphonate.

A study of general practices found that only half of the at-risk population was receiving the NICE's recommended treatment. The agency also advises that treatment for women aged 74 or less should be based on a bone scan, however, the researchers found that only a quarter of cases met this standard.