The “new savior” for patients with severe osteoporosis

  Osteoporosis is a serious risk, especially in postmenopausal elderly women and in patients with rheumatic diseases who take hormones. Brittle fractures caused by osteoporosis and pneumonia and decubitus ulcers caused by prolonged bed rest often lead to the death of the patient. If the problem of osteoporosis is not solved, re-fracture of other parts of the body can occur after orthopedic surgery, so prevention and treatment of osteoporosis is important.  There are many drugs available for the treatment of osteoporosis, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Calcium tablets alone and vitamin D alone have proved to be ineffective; sex hormones are fast-acting and effective, but have greater side effects and may be related to the induction of cancer; salmon calcitonin inhibits bone resorption and eliminates bone pain quickly, but belongs to the peptide class, which may induce antigenic antibody reactions and allergies, and the efficacy gradually decreases. Bonderine, Fosamax and other bisphosphonates must be taken orally, requiring large amounts of water and uprightness for a certain period of time, which may induce esophagitis, and many elderly people cannot adhere to the medication, that is, the compliance with treatment is not good. If the compliance is only 50%, it is the same as no treatment.  Happily, there are intravenous anti-osteoporosis drugs available. In May 2009, the State Drug Administration approved the entry of MIGUDA into the Chinese market for the treatment of various types of osteoporosis. “MIGUDA” is a trade name, its scientific name is Zoledronic acid sodium, is the third generation of bisphosphonate drugs developed and produced by Novartis. It is a third-generation bisphosphonate drug developed and produced by Novartis, which can significantly reduce the risk of fracture by binding to its target cells, osteoclasts, and preventing the decomposition of bones by osteoclasts, restoring the normal balance between bone resorption and decomposition and filling replacement.  MIGUDA features: 1, the world’s only 1-year intravenous injection of bisphosphonates for the treatment of various types of osteoporosis; 2, significant efficacy: previous oral preparations require uninterrupted dosing (because only 1% can reach the bone), while 100% of this product enters the body circulation, of which 61% directly binds to the bone, and has strong binding power with bone tissue.  3, faster onset of action: the efficacy can be observed in 6 months.  4, easy to use: 1 time per year intravenous input, 15 minutes each time; 5, better patient compliance: the previous use of oral preparations compliance is only 52%, 1 year after the discontinuation rate of 70%, while this product greatly improves compliance and reduces the discontinuation rate.  6, Efficacy and safety have been confirmed by large clinical trials and post-marketing observations (500,000 patients).  7. Few adverse reactions: The most common adverse reactions of MIGUDA are transient fever and myalgia, but they are mostly relieved within 3 days after injection, and those who cannot be relieved can be relieved by paracetamol or ibuprofen.  The use of MIGUDA is as follows: 1 intravenous drip of 5mg of zoledronic acid, 100ml of water solution at a constant rate by infusion tube for not less than 15 minutes. Do not mix with any calcium or other drugs or administer intravenously at the same time. It is not recommended for those with creatinine clearance below 30 ml/min, while no dose adjustment is required for those with hepatic insufficiency.  The price of MIGUDA is expensive, 4,000 RMB for 1 infusion, but I heard that the product is expected to be covered by Beijing health insurance.