Efficacy and safety of two elcatonin regimens in the treatment of osteoporosis

Abstract

In a 12-month, open, comparative trial, 75 female inpatients with senile osteoporosis were randomly assigned to treatment with one of two elcatonin regimens. Group 1 received elcatonin 40 IU IM every other day. Group 2 received an activate-depress-free-repeat (ADFR) regimen of calcitriol (2 μg/day orally for 7 days) as an activating agent, followed by elcatonin (40 IU/day IM for 21 days) as a depressing agent, followed by a 28-day treatment-free period. This 3-month cycle was repeated four times during the study period. Group 3 was the control group. All patients received calcium (1 g) by mouth daily. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured in the nondominant radius by single-photon absorptiometry before treatment started and after 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of treatment. After 12 months of treatment, significantly more patients in group 1 than in the other two groups were markedly improved ( P < 0.001). Radial BMD showed a marked improvement in 50%, 24%, and 4% of patients in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Mean BMD at the end of the study increased in groups 1 and 2 and decreased in group 3. Both active treatments increased mean radial BMD compared with the control group, and the every-other-day therapy produced a larger increase than the ADFR regimen. Side effects were generally mild and similar to those previously reported with calcitonin treatment.