Determinants of Persistence with Bisphosphonates: A Study in Women with Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

Background: Although bisphosphonates are useful in the management of osteoporosis, patients often dis-continue treatment. Objectives: The aims of this study were to investi-gate persistence with bisphosphonates, and to assess whether the dose interval influenced persistence, among women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. Methods: Data were obtained from the PHARMO Record Linkage System, which includes, among other databases, drug-dispensing records from community pharmacies linked to hospital discharge records of>1 million subjects in defined areas in The Netherlands. Women who were new users of alendronate (daily or weekly), etidronate (daily), or risedronate (daily) dur-ing the period from January 2000 through Septembe