Two retrospective analyses were conducted from a study that examined the impact of medication adherence on risk of fracture, hospitalization and healthcare costs among women initiating osteoporosis medication. The two analyses used medical and pharmacy claims from 32,573 women who initiated treatment on alendronate, risedronate, teriparatide, ibandronate or raloxifene in a large U.S. health plan. One analysis showed that patients with low adherence had a 20.4 percent higher risk of fracture than did patients with high adherence (p<0.0001).

A second analysis found that patients with low adherence had a 31.2 percent higher probability of a hospital stay (p<0.001) and 11.4 percent higher mean medical costs>

Fracture is one of the most common health events suffered by postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Globally, one woman in three over 50 years of age will experience a fracture in her lifetime. A woman who has broken a bone as a result of osteoporosis has more than an eight-out-of-ten chance of breaking another bone. Half of women who break a hip, a life changing event, will permanently need assistance to walk.

Osteoporosis: Impact and Prevalence

Often referred to as the "silent epidemic," osteoporosis is a global problem that is increasing in significance as the population of the world both increases and ages. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently identified osteoporosis as a priority health issue along with other major non-communicable diseases.

The economic burden of osteoporosis is comparable to that of other major chronic diseases; for example, in the U.S., the costs associated with osteoporosis-related fractures are equivalent to those of cardiovascular disease and asthma.

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