With the very-recent FDA approval of Amgen's Prolia®, this dropout rate (or "switch-over" rate, if one prefers) is very likely to rise in the U.S. Note that 61 percent of patients go off of Fosamax® (or its generic equivalent, alendronate) within a year, according to a just released SDI analysis.
This really is the hard winter's freeze setting in, on Fosamax:
. . . .Currently, alendronate, sometimes filled as Fosamax but more frequently as the generic equivalent, is the most popular treatment for osteoporosis. In the 12 months ending April 2010, alendronate accounted for almost 24% of drug issuances for the condition.Generic alendronate is most often dispensed as a once-weekly therapy. SDI found that 49% of new alendronate patients had discontinued the drug 6 months later. Another 3% had switched to another therapy. After 12 months, 61% of new alendronate patients had discontinued therapy. . . .
That is effectively a death-knell, you hear, folks -- when coupled with the burgeoning Fosamax ONJ litigation.
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