The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 NewsACR Convergence
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Interprofessional Perspective
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
      • Psoriatic Arthritis
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / Abaloparatide vs. Alendronate for Osteoporosis

Abaloparatide vs. Alendronate for Osteoporosis

August 10, 2020 • By Lara C. Pullen, PhD

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF

Current pharmacologic therapies for patients with osteoporosis include anti-resorptive drugs, such as bisphosphonates (e.g., alendronate and risedronate) and anabolic agents, such as abaloparatide and teriparatide. Researchers have previously published findings of the Abaloparatide Comparator Trial in Vertebral Endpoints (ACTIVE) study, which demonstrated the efficacy of abaloparatide in preventing fractures in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.1 The study was followed by the ACTIVExtend trial, which demonstrated sustained reduction of fracture risk with alendronate in abaloparatide-treated participants from ACTIVE.2 Although the results of these two studies have been published, up until now, investigators have not used the data to compare the efficacy of abaloparatide with anti-resorptive therapies.

You Might Also Like
  • Abaloparatide Promising for Osteoporosis; NICE Draft Guidelines Include Secukinumab for Ankylosing Spondylitis
  • Abaloparatide-SC May Reduce Fractures for Osteoporosis & New FDA Safety Website
  • Abaloparatide May Boost BMD in Older Women with Osteoporosis
Explore This Issue
September 2020
Also By This Author
  • Cohort Study Reveals Patients Treated with Rituximab Have Poorer COVID-19 Outcomes

Recently, researchers performed this analysis, with results suggesting that initial treatment with abaloparatide may result in greater vertebral fracture reduction than alendronate in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Benjamin Z. Leder, MD, an endocrinologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, and colleagues published their findings in the March issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. This study is the first to prospectively compare the effect of initial treatment with abaloparatide to that of bisphosphonates on fracture incidence in this patient population.3

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

The investigators analyzed data from participants in ACTIVE who were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive 80 μg of subcutaneous abaloparatide daily, 20 μg of subcutaneous, open-label teriparatide or matching placebo in a double-blind fashion daily for 18 months. The participants then had the option of participating in ACTIVExtend, during which they received 70 mg of alendronate weekly for 24 months. ACTIVE included 1,243 participants, 1,139 of who participated in ACTIVExtend. The authors note that a relatively small number of fractures occurred in both the abaloparatide and alendronate groups.

A comparison of the fracture rates from the abaloparatide group from ACTIVE with the fracture rates from the group that received alendronate in ACTIVExtend following placebo treatment in ACTIVE revealed the vertebral fracture rate was lower during abaloparatide treatment in ACTIVE (0.47 fractures per 100 patient-years) than during alendronate treatment in ACTIVExtend (1.66 fractures per 100 patient-years). This difference translated into a relative risk reduction of 71%.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

The vertebral fracture rate in alendronate-treated women represented a reduction compared with the rate during the placebo-treatment phase, but the comparison did not reach statistical significance. However, patients who switched from placebo in the ACTIVE trial to alendronate in ACTIVExtend experienced a decrease in the rate of new vertebral fractures from 2.49 to 1.66 fractures per 100 patient-years. Those who switched from abaloparatide to alendronate experienced a decrease from 0.47 to 0.19 fractures per 100 patient-years.

Pages: 1 2 | Single Page

Filed Under: Conditions Tagged With: abaloparatide, alendronate, Fractures, Osteoporosis, osteoporosis treatmentsIssue: September 2020

You Might Also Like:
  • Abaloparatide Promising for Osteoporosis; NICE Draft Guidelines Include Secukinumab for Ankylosing Spondylitis
  • Abaloparatide-SC May Reduce Fractures for Osteoporosis & New FDA Safety Website
  • Abaloparatide May Boost BMD in Older Women with Osteoporosis
  • Rheumatology Drug Updates: Abaloparatide Promising for Osteoporosis, Plus Secukinumab for Ankylosing Spondylitis

Simple Tasks

Learn more about the ACR’s public awareness campaign and how you can get involved. Help increase visibility of rheumatic diseases and decrease the number of people left untreated.

Visit the Simple Tasks site »

American College of Rheumatology

Visit the official website for the American College of Rheumatology.

Visit the ACR »

Rheumatology Research Foundation

The Foundation is the largest private funding source for rheumatology research and training in the U.S.

Learn more »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use / Cookie Preferences

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2023 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)