Bisphosphonates add life, study finds
3rd February 2011
By Rada Rouse
BISPHOSPHONATES confer a clear longevity benefit, adding five years to the lives of elderly people, according to findings from a population-based study in the NSW town of Dubbo.
Researchers from Sydney’s Garvan Institute of Medical Research have found that among women with osteoporotic fractures aged >75 years, the death rate for those taking bisphosphonates dropped to 10% compared to an expected 50% over five years if there was no treatment.
The findings are based on a subgroup of 121 people treated with bisphosphonates out of a cohort of 2000 enrolled in the long-running Dubbo Osteoporosis