Real-world bone turnover marker use: impact on treatment decisions and fracture

SUMMARY: The use of bone turnover marker (BTM) testing for patients with osteoporosis in the USA has not been well characterized. This retrospective US-based real-world data study found BTM testing has some association with treatment decision-making and lower fracture risk in patients with presumed osteoporosis, supporting its use in clinical practice. INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to characterize bone turnover marker (BTM) testing patterns and estimate their clinical utility in treatment decision-making and fragility fracture risk in patients with osteoporosis using a retrospective claims database. METHODS: Data from patients aged ≥ 50 years with newly diagnosed osteoporosis enrolled in the Truven MarketScan(®) Commercial Claims and Encounters and Medicare Supplemental and Co-ordination of Benefits databases from January 2008 to June 2018 were included. Osteoporosis was ascertained by explicit claims, fragility fracture events associated with osteoporosis, or prescribed anti-resorptive or anabolic therapy. BTM-tested patients were 1:1 propensity score matched to those untested following diagnosis. Generalized estimating equation models were performed to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for testing versus no testing on both treatment decision-making and fragility fracture. RESULTS: Of the 457,829 patients with osteoporosis, 6075 were identified with ≥ 1 BTM test following diagnosis; of these patients, 1345 had a unique treatment decision made ≤ 30 days from BTM testing. The percentage of patients receiving BTM tests increased significantly each year (average annual % change: + 8.1%; 95% CI: 5.6–9.0; p = 0.01). Patients tested were significantly more likely to have a treatment decision (OR: 1.14; 95% CI: 1.13–1.15), and testing was associated with lower odds of fracture versus those untested (OR: 0.87; 95% CI: 0.85–0.88). CONCLUSION: In this large, heterogeneous population of patients with presumed osteoporosis, BTM testing was associated with treatment decision-making, likely leading to fragility fracture reduction following use. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00198-020-05734-0.