Alendronate for the treatment of osteoporosis in men

Background: Men have higher rates of osteoporosis and suffer fragility fractures more often than previously believed. Fracture-related morbidity and mortality in men is substantially higher than in women. Objective: To investigate alendronate for treating osteoporosis in men. Methods: Search limited to ‘men’ and ‘English’; keywords were ‘osteoporosis’ or ‘bone density’ or ‘fracture’ and ‘alendronate’. Results/conclusions: Alendronate is an amino-bisphosphonate with proved efficacy for increasing bone mineral density in men with idiopathic or secondary osteoporosis and has demonstrated an ability to prevent vertebral fractures in men with low bone mass. There are trends for alendronate to decrease the risk of non-vertebral fracture, but larger trials are needed to conclusively establish this benefit. Alendronate is a well-tolerated and comparatively safe drug with an attractive once-a-week dosing regimen.