Actonel® (risedronate sodium)

Actonel® belongs to a class of medicines called bisphosphonates. Bone is made up of constantly renewed living tissue, older bone being replaced by new bone. In osteoporosis, the cells responsible for bone resorption become more numerous than those ensuring bone renewal. As a result, with time bones become less solid and more fragile and more vulnerable to fracture. Actonel® makes bones less fracture- prone by inhibiting the action of cells involved in bone degradation and loss. Actonel® is also known as Optinate® in Italy and Scandinavia and Acrel® in Spain.

Two signs can help indicate the presence of osteoporosis:

• the occurrence of a fracture
• the discovery of abnormally low bone mineral density.

For post- menopausal patients:

• weekly high dosage or with daily low dosage, Actonel® treats osteporosis in order to reduce the risk of vertebrae fractures or hip fracture.
• in daily low dosage, Actonel® is also used:
  • to take preventive action against osteoporosis for patients with an increased risk of osteoporosis
  • to maintain or increase the bone mass for patients who follow a long-term treatment by systemic corticoids.

In July 2005, The Alliance for Better Bone Health announced that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved the use of Actonel® with calcium (combining risedronate sodium and calcium carbonate tablets) the first prescription medicine to combine Actonel® tablets and calcium tablets in the same package. This formulation is also available in several other countries, for example Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands.