Background: It is estimated that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men over the age of 50 worldwide will experience an osteoporosis fracture during their lives. Neridronate is a third-generation bisphosphonate with established efficacy in metabolic bone disease. It can be used in the treatment of osteoporosis.
Objectives: We aimed to conduct a meta-analysis of the effect of neridronate on the treatment of osteoporosis.
Material and methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) recommendations were used to guide the present study. We searched PubMed and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) for reports published until August 31, 2021, related to neridronate and osteoporosis. The modification of the bone mineral density (BMD, g/cm2) of the patient is the core indicator for neridronate treatment.
Results: Significant increases in the BMD of the lumbar spine (mean difference (MD) = 5.99, 95% confidence interval (95% CI): 3.96-8.02), femoral neck (MD = 4.51, 95% CI: 2.01-7.01) and total hip (MD = 2.55, 95% CI: 2.10-3.00) were found. Greater improvement in the BMD of the lumbar spine and femoral neck could also be detected in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis than with other causes of osteoporosis. Moreover, significant decreases in serum C-telopeptide of collagen type I (sCTX, standardized mean difference (SMD) = -0.84, 95% CI: -1.32--0.37) and bone alkaline phosphatase (ALP, MD = -5.29, 95% CI: -7.31--3.26) levels were observed.
Conclusion: The pool analysis of the selected clinical trials indicates the great benefit of neridronate in improving the condition of patients with osteoporosis of all causes, particularly patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis, which causes an increase in BMD as well as in sCTX and bone ALP levels.
Keywords: bisphosphonates; bone mineral density; meta-analysis; neridronate; osteoporosis.