Quarterly intravenous injection of ibandronate to treat osteoporosis in postmenopausal women

Osteoporosis is a chronic condition that generally requires long-term therapy for fracture risk reduction to become apparent. Although the bisphosphonates have made a major contribution to how clinicians manage osteoporosis, compliance with therapy has generally been less in the real-world setting than seen in clinical trials. Less-frequently administered dosage regimens or nonoral routes may enhance compliance and so maximize the therapeutic benefit of bisphosphonates. Ibandronate is a nitrogen-containing bisphosphonate, whose high potency allows it to be administered orally or intravenously with extended dosing intervals. This paper will review the role of intravenous ibandronate in the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis.