Abstract
The ideal drug for treatment of osteoporosis is one that replaces lost bone and restores its disorganized microarchitecture so that fracture risk is reduced to that of the normal population. The drug should be free of side effects and sufficiently inexpensive for widespread use. Its beneficial effects on bone should persist for a significant time once therapy is withdrawn, opening the way to intermittent courses of treatment. It should be effective when given by a variety of routes, to improve subject acceptance and maintain compliance. Such a drug is not available, but several of the currently available compounds fulfil some (but not all) of the requirements and point the way to the future optimization of therapy. There have also been several important recent advances in our understanding of the cell biology of bone, which could also lead to the development of better treatment.
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Hosking, D.J. (2007). The Ideal Drug for Treatment of Osteoporosis. In: Pearson, D., Miller, C.G. (eds) Clinical Trials in Osteoporosis. Clinical Trials. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84628-587-5_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84628-587-5_11
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