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Vitamin D Status and Bone Mineral Density Changes During Alendronate Treatment in Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

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An Erratum to this article was published on 15 September 2013

Abstract

Vitamin D supplementation is recommended for women with osteoporosis. In the FOCUS-D trial comparing the combination tablet alendronate plus vitamin D3 5,600 IU (ALN/D) with standard care (SC) prescribed by patients’ personal physicians, ALN/D was more effective in improving serum 25(OH)D and bone turnover markers by 6 months and increasing spine and hip bone mineral density (BMD) after 1 year than SC. This post hoc analysis examined the relationship between BMD gain and 25(OH)D in women in SC receiving alendronate (SC/ALN, n = 134, 52 % of the SC group) and in the ALN/D group (n = 257). At baseline, participants were of mean age 73 years and 72 % were Caucasian, with a mean 25(OH)D of 14.9 ng/mL. In the SC/ALN group, most received vitamin D, although intake of vitamin D varied extensively (51 % received <400 μg/day). In this group, end-of-study 25(OH)D correlated positively with mean percent increases from baseline in lumbar spine and femoral neck BMD [Pearson correlation coefficients (95 % CI) = 0.23 (0.02–0.41) and 0.24 (0.03–0.41), respectively]. Baseline 25(OH)D correlated with increases in only lumbar spine BMD [Pearson correlation coefficient (95 % CI) = 0.22 (0.01–0.40)]. No correlations between mean BMD change and 25(OH)D were seen with ALN/D. In conclusion, in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and low 25(OH)D receiving alendronate and a wide range of vitamin D doses, the increase in lumbar spine and femoral neck BMD was positively correlated with serum 25(OH)D achieved by the end of the study and, to some extent, with 25(OH)D concentrations at baseline. The degree of success of alendronate therapy for osteoporosis may depend on the vitamin D status of patients.

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Acknowledgements

This study was sponsored by Merck Sharp & Dohme. C. R. has received honoraria and/or lecture fees and/or research grants from Merck Sharp & Dohme, Amgen, Lilly, Servier, Novartis, and Bongrain. N. B. received consultancy fees or funding from Merck Sharp & Dohme, Lilly, and Amgen. S. B. received consultancy fees from Merck Sharp & Dohme. D. K. received research grants and consultancy fees from Merck Sharp & Dohme, Lilly, Novartis, and Amgen. S. R. has received consultancy fees from Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, and Lilly. J.-Y. R. received consultancy fees from Servier, Novartis, Negma, Lilly, Wyeth, Amgen, Glaxo SmithKline, Roche, Merckle, Nycomed, NPS, Theramex, and UCB; lecture fees from Merck Sharp & Dohme, Lilly, Rottapharm, IBSA, Genevrier, Novartis, Servier, Roche, Glaxo SmithKline, Teijin, Teva, Ebewee, Pharma, Zodiac, Analis, Theramex, Nycomed, Norvo-Nordisk, and Nolver; grant support from Bristol Myers Squibb, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Rottapharm, Teva, Lilly, Novartis, Roche, Glaxo SmithKline, Amgen, and Servier. A. P., E. R., and A. S. are employees of Merck Sharp & Dohme.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Paris Descartes University, Paris, France

    Christian Roux

  2. University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA

    Neil Binkley

  3. Center for Metabolic Bone Disease, Leuven, Belgium

    Steven Boonen

  4. Institute for Aging Research, Hebrew SeniorLife and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Douglas P. Kiel

  5. Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Western General Hospital, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK

    Stuart H. Ralston

  6. University of Liege, Liege, Belgium

    Jean-Yves Regnister

  7. Merck Sharp and Dohme, Whitehouse Station, NJ, USA

    Annpey Pong, Elizabeth Rosenberg & Arthur Santora

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  1. Christian Roux
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  2. Neil Binkley
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  3. Steven Boonen
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  4. Douglas P. Kiel
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  5. Stuart H. Ralston
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  6. Jean-Yves Regnister
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  7. Annpey Pong
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  8. Elizabeth Rosenberg
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  9. Arthur Santora
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FOCUS-D Investigators

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Correspondence to Christian Roux.

Additional information

This study was sponsored by Merck Sharp & Dohme. C. Roux has received honoraria and/or lecture fees and/or research grants from Merck Sharp & Dohme. N. Binkley received consultancy fees, S. Boonen received consultancy fees, D. Kiel received research grants and consultancy fees, J. Reginster received consultancy fees from Merck Sharp and Dohme. A. Pong, E. Rosenberg, and A. C. Santora are employees of Merck Sharp and Dohme.

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Roux, C., Binkley, N., Boonen, S. et al. Vitamin D Status and Bone Mineral Density Changes During Alendronate Treatment in Postmenopausal Osteoporosis . Calcif Tissue Int 94, 153–157 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00223-013-9763-1

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