Several medications have proved to be effective in reducing the fracture risk in patients with osteoporosis. However, the optimal duration of use of these medications and the effects of changes between treatment strategies remain to be established. The latter are of special clinical value in patients who have been on bisphosphonate therapy for years and present with persistent high fracture risk. To gain insight into the effects of strontium ranelate therapy after long-term biphosphonate treatment (average 32 months) in patients with suppressed bone turnover, the authors [1] performed paired transiliac crest biopsies from 15 patients previously treated with biphosphonates and presenting with persistent osteoporosis.

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Because of the aging of the general population in all developed countries, the prevalence of osteoporosis is increasing worldwide and the fight against this disease has important consequences in terms of public health. This has prompted the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) and Servier to build a partnership to encourage young scientists to engage in cutting-edge research in bone disease, and increase awareness and understanding of osteoporosis. With this aim, they created a grant designed to support investigators under the age of 40 in original research projects on osteoporosis of high scientific value and international relevance. The winning project will be supported by an unrestricted ¿40 000 grant from Servier.

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New data recently presented during the 29th American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) meeting, showed that strontium ranelate has significant vertebral antifracture efficacy in young postmenopausal osteoporotic women aged between 50 and 65 years, confirming the benefit of strontium ranelate, whatever the age of the patients.

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