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Inappropriate prescribing for osteoporosis

B E Christopher Nordin, Michael Horowitz and Barry E Chatterton
Med J Aust 2009; 190 (9): . || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2009.tb02544.x
Published online: 4 May 2009

To the Editor: We believe the current indications for subsidised treatment of osteoporosis specified in the Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule (PBS) encourage over-prescribing on the one hand, yet, on the other, deny many patients with osteoporosis the treatment they need.


  • 1 Endocrine and Metabolic Unit, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, SA.
  • 2 SA Health Working Party on Prevention of Osteoporosis and Fractures, Adelaide, SA.
  • 3 Department of Nuclear Medicine and Bone Densitometry, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, SA.



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  • 2. Cummings SR, Black DM, Thompson DE, et al. Effect of alendronate on risk of fracture in women with low bone density but without vertebral fractures. JAMA 1998; 280: 2077-2082.
  • 3. Black DM, Thompson DE, Bauer DC, et al. Fracture risk reduction with alendronate in women with osteoporosis: the fracture intervention trial. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2000; 85: 4118-4124.
  • 4. Abrahamsen B, Vestergaard P, Rud B, et al. Ten-year absolute risk of osteoporotic fractures according to BMD T score at menopause: the Danish Osteoporosis Prevention Study. J Bone Miner Res 2006; 21: 796-800.
  • 5. Access Economics. The burden of brittle bones: costing osteoporosis in Australia. Canberra: Access Economics for Osteoporosis Australia, 2001.
  • 6. Center JR, Bliuc D, Nguyen TV, Eisman JA. Risk of subsequent fracture after low-trauma fracture in men and women. JAMA 2007; 297: 387-394.
  • 7. Delmas PD, Genant HK, Crans GG, et al. Severity of prevalent vertebral fractures and the risk of subsequent vertebral and nonvertebral fractures: results from the MORE trial. Bone 2003; 33: 522-532.

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