INTRAVENOUS ZOLEDRONIC ACID IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN WITH LOW BONE MINERAL DENSITY

do have limitations related to long-term compliance, gastrointestinal intolerance, and poor and variable absorption from the gastrointestinal tract. Intermittent intravenous administration of bisphosphonates might address some of these problems and has been shown to be effective in the treatment of malignant hypercalcemia and Paget’s disease and to reduce the rate of skeletal complications in patients with breast carcinoma or multiple myeloma. Evidence suggests that intravenous bisphosphonates increase bone mineral density in patients with osteoporosis, but most relevant studies have been small, unblinded, and short-term and have not systematically examined the effects of the dose and dosing interval on changes in bone mineral density and markers of bone turnover. 3-6