Strontium ranelate reduces the risk of vertebral fracture in young postmenopausal women with severe osteoporosis

OBJECTIVES: Early osteoporotic fractures have a great impact on disease progression, the first fracture being a major risk factor for further fractures. Strontium ranelate efficacy against vertebral fractures is presently assessed in a subset of women aged 50–65 years. METHODS: The Spinal Osteoporosis Therapeutic Intervention (SOTI) was an international, double blind, placebo controlled trial, supporting the efficacy of strontium ranelate 2 g/day in reducing the risk of vertebral fractures in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and a prevalent vertebral fracture. 353 of these randomly assigned women were included in this analysis. RESULTS: Over 4 years, strontium ranelate significantly reduced the risk of vertebral fracture by 35% (relative risk 0.65; 95% CI 0.42 to 0.99, p<0.05). In the strontium ranelate group, the bone mineral density increased from baseline by 15.8% at lumbar spine and 7.1% at femoral neck. CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate a significant vertebral antifracture efficacy of strontium ranelate in young postmenopausal women aged 50–65 years with severe osteoporosis and confirm the efficacy of this antiosteoporotic treatment to prevent vertebral fractures, whatever the age of the patient.