Review of Comparative Effectiveness of Treatments to Prevent Fractures
Authors: Dennis M. Black, Steven Boonen, Pierre Delmas, Kenneth W. Lyles
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2008)

Letters3 June 2008Review of Comparative Effectiveness of Treatments to Prevent FracturesDennis M. Black, PhD, Steven Boonen, MD, PhD, Pierre Delmas, MD, PhD, and Kenneth W. Lyles, MDDennis M. Black, PhDFrom the University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94107; University of Leuven, Leuven B-3000, Belgium; University of Lyon, INSERM Research Unit 831, Lyon 69437, France; and Duke University and Veterans' Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710.Search for more papers by this author, Steven Boonen, MD, PhDFrom the University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94107; University of Leuven, Leuven B-3000, Belgium; University of Lyon, INSERM Research Unit 831, Lyon 69437, France; and Duke University and Veterans' Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710.Search for more papers by this author, Pierre Delmas, MD, PhDFrom the University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94107; University of Leuven, Leuven B-3000, Belgium; University of Lyon, INSERM Research Unit 831, Lyon 69437, France; and Duke University and Veterans' Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710.Search for more papers by this author, and Kenneth W. Lyles, MDFrom the University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94107; University of Leuven, Leuven B-3000, Belgium; University of Lyon, INSERM Research Unit 831, Lyon 69437, France; and Duke University and Veterans' Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-148-11-200806030-00019 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:The meta-analysis by MacLean and colleagues (1) is interesting and comprehensive, but we question 1 methodological aspect: the use of previous meta-analyses and their combination with individual trials. The Methods section is unclear as to how previous meta-analyses were chosen or combined, and this may have led to inconsistent results. For example, for alendronate, 2 meta-analyses are listed for patients who are at high risk (defined in Table 1) for hip fracture (Table 4). One meta-analysis includes 2 trials in high-risk patients. The other includes 6 trials: 2 overlap with the first meta-analysis, whereas the other 4 ...References1. MacLean C, Newberry S, Maglione M, McMahon M, Ranganath V, Suttorp M, et al. Systematic review: comparative effectiveness of treatments to prevent fractures in men and women with low bone density or osteoporosis. Ann Intern Med. 2008;148:197-213. [PMID: 18087050] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Black DM, Delmas PD, Eastell R, Reid IR, Boonen S, Cauley JA, et al. HORIZON Pivotal Fracture Trial. Once-yearly zoledronic acid for treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. N Engl J Med. 2007;356:1809-22. [PMID: 17476007] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Lyles KW, Colón-Emeric CS, Magaziner JS, Adachi JD, Pieper CF, Mautalen C, et al. HORIZON Recurrent Fracture Trial. Zoledronic acid and clinical fractures and mortality after hip fracture. N Engl J Med. 2007;357:1799-809. [PMID: 17878149] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From the University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94107; University of Leuven, Leuven B-3000, Belgium; University of Lyon, INSERM Research Unit 831, Lyon 69437, France; and Duke University and Veterans' Affairs Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710.Disclosures:Research contracts: D. Black (Novartis, Merck), K. Lyles (Novartis, Alliance for Better Bone Health, Amgen). Consultancies: P. Delmas (Novartis), K. Lyles (Novartis, Procter & Gamble, Merck, Amgen, GTx, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Bone Medical Ltd.) S. Boonen (Amgen, Aventis Pharmaceuticals, Celtrix Pharmaceuticals, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Insmed Pharmaceuticals, Institut de Recherches Internationales Servier, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Nycomed, Pfizer, Roche Pharmaceuticals, Sanofi-Aventis). Patents received: K. Lyles (20050272707). PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoSystematic Review: Comparative Effectiveness of Treatments to Prevent Fractures in Men and Women with Low Bone Density or Osteoporosis Catherine MacLean , Sydne Newberry , Margaret Maglione , Maureen McMahon , Veena Ranganath , Marika Suttorp , Walter Mojica , Martha Timmer , Alicia Alexander , Melissa McNamara , Sheetal B. Desai , Annie Zhou , Susan Chen , Jason Carter , Carlo Tringale , Di Valentine , Breanne Johnsen , and Jennifer Grossman Review of Comparative Effectiveness of Treatments to Prevent Fractures Robert Karis Review of Comparative Effectiveness of Treatments to Prevent Fractures Catherine MacLean , Margaret Maglione , and Marika Suttorp Review of Comparative Effectiveness of Treatments to Prevent Fractures Harold Rosen Review of Comparative Effectiveness of Treatments to Prevent Fractures Lionel S. Lim Review of Comparative Effectiveness of Treatments to Prevent Fractures John L. Stock , John L. Mershon , and Michael Jay Schoenfeld Metrics Cited byRegional bone metabolism at the lumbar spine and hip following discontinuation of alendronate and risedronate treatment in postmenopausal womenA Step in the Journey of Denosumab From Bone-Targeted Therapy to Seed- and Soil-Targeted TherapyAnti-resorptives in the management of osteoporosis 3 June 2008Volume 148, Issue 11Page: 885-886KeywordsBoneComparative effectiveness researchConflicts of interestDrugsForecastingHip fractures ePublished: 3 June 2008 Issue Published: 3 June 2008 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2008 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...