Drug to Treat Osteoporosis Also Prevents the Disease, Study Finds

Fosamax, the first drug developed in 20 years to treat osteoporosis, also prevents the bone-thinning disease, according to a report presented Wednesday at a meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. The two-year study, led by Dr. Michael McClung of the Oregon Osteoporosis Center in Portland, involved 1,609 women ages 45 to 59 who had been through menopause but had not suffered any fractures. The results showed that women taking Fosamax had a 3.6% increase in bone mass density in their spines. That means the drug restored bone mass to the same levels the women had two to four years before the study, researchers said.