Bisphosphonates for osteoporosis.

One in three women and at least one in 12 men in the UK have osteoporosis, a condition which can lead to fractures, deformity, pain and disability, at a cost to the NHS of around 1.5 billion Pounds each year. Bisphosphonates offer a therapeutic option for preventing and treating osteoporosis. Here, we assess and compare the three bisphosphonates (alendronate, etidronate and risedronate) licensed for such use in the UK. We do not consider the four bisphosphonates (clodronate, pamidronate, tiludronate and zoledronate) that are licensed in the UK only for the treatment of Paget's disease of bone and/or hypercalcaemia of malignancy.