Impact of oral ibandronate 150<ce:hsp sp="0.25"/>mg once monthly on bone structure and density in post-menopausal osteoporosis or osteopenia derived from in vivo mu CT

The effect of ibandronate 150mg/once monthly in the treatment of post-menopausal osteopenia and osteoporosis on bone micro-structure at the distal tibia and radius has not been considered to date. Seventy post-menopausal women with osteoporosis or osteopenia were recruited. All subjects received calcium and vitamin D supplementation and were randomized to either a group which took 150mg ibandronate oral monthly or a placebo group over a 12-month period. mu CT measures of the distal tibia and radius were conducted every three months, with DXA lumbar spine and hip measurements conducted only pre and post and serum markers of bone formation and resorption measured every 6months. After 12-months no significant impact of ibandronate on the primary outcome measures bone-volume to tissue-volume and trabecular separation at the distal tibia (p greater than or equal to 0.15) was found. Further multiple regression analyses of the primary end-points indicated a significant effect favoring the ibandronate intervention (p=0.045). Analysis of secondary end-points showed greater increases in distal tibia cortical thickness, cortical density and total density (p less than or equal to 0.043) with ibandronate and no significant effects at the distal radius, but greater increases of hip DXA-BMD and lumbar spine DXA-BMD (p less than or equal to 0.017). Ibandronate use resulted in a marked reduction in bone turnover (p