Safety and efficacy of risedronate in reducing fracture risk in osteoporotic women aged 80 and older: Implications for the use of antiresorptive agents in the old and oldest old

(95% confidence interval 560‐91%; Po.001). The number of women who needed to be treated to prevent one new vertebral fracture after 1 year was 12. This early onset of efficacywasconsistentacrosstheclinicalprograms,andantifracture efficacy was confirmed over 3 years. Risedronate was well tolerated, with a safety profile comparable with that of placebo. CONCLUSION: These findings provide the first evidence that, even in the very old, reducing bone resorption rate remains an effective treatment strategy for osteoporosis. Because each therapeutic agent used for the treatment of osteoporosis may have unique characteristics, the observations made in this study should not be assumed to apply to other bisphosphonates. J Am Geriatr Soc 52:1832‐1839, 2004.