Study suggests more older women may benefit from bone drugs

A large study finds that a bone-strengthening drug given by IV every 18 months greatly lowered the risk of fracture in certain older women.

The new results suggest these medicines might help more people than those who get them now and can be used less often, too.

Broken bones are a scourge of aging. A hip fracture often leads to nursing home care. The risk is most common in women after menopause.

People with severe bone loss are already advised to use drugs such as Actonel and Boniva. The new study found that an intravenous version of one such drug helped women with only moderate bone loss.

Results were reported Monday at a medical conference and published by the New England Journal of Medicine.