Indications
Droniva is indicated for the treatment of osteoporosis in women, especially after menopause. It is also used for the prevention of osteoporosis in women, again especially postmenopausal women. In men, Droniva is indicated for both the prevention and the treatment of osteoporosis. Treatment of Osteoporosis Osteoporosis may be confirmed in two ways. One is a low bone mass (T-score <-2.0 SD) together with the presence or history of an osteoporotic fracture. The other is a low bone mass (T-score <-2.5 SD) where no osteoporotic fracture has been documented before.
⚠️ Always consult a registered physician before taking any medicine.
Pharmacology
Ibandronic acid works by slowing down bone breakdown. In laboratory animals, it prevented the bone loss that was artificially triggered by stopping ovarian function, by retinoids, or by tumours and tumour extracts. In young, fast-growing rats, it also slowed the bone breakdown their bodies were doing naturally, so they ended up with more bone mass than untreated animals. Studies in animals show that ibandronic acid is a very strong inhibitor of osteoclast activity (osteoclasts are the cells that break bone down). Even at doses more than 5,000 times the dose used to treat osteoporosis, growing rats showed no sign that their bones were mineralising poorly. Because it is so potent and has such a wide safety margin, it can be given on more flexible schedules, including intermittent treatment with long breaks between courses, at fairly low doses.
Ibandronic acid is a very strong bisphosphonate from the nitrogen-containing group. These medicines act on bone and specifically block osteoclast activity, though they don't stop osteoclasts from being recruited. Ibandronic acid mainly targets bone because it binds very strongly to hydroxyapatite, the mineral that forms the framework of bone. It reduces bone resorption but has no direct effect on bone formation. In postmenopausal women, whose bone turnover has speeded up, it brings the rate back down towards premenopausal levels, so bone mass gradually builds up over time. Whether it is taken daily or intermittently, ibandronic acid lowers bone resorption. This shows up as lower levels of bone turnover markers in the blood and urine, higher bone mineral density (BMD), and fewer fractures.
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
Pregnancy: Ibandronic Acid should not be used during pregnancy. Studies in which rats and rabbits were given daily oral doses found no evidence of a direct toxic or teratogenic effect on the fetus, and no adverse effects on development were seen in the F1 offspring of rats. However, reproductive toxicity studies in rats showed the effects typically associated with bisphosphonates as a class, including a reduced number of implantation sites, interference with natural delivery (dystocia), and an increase in visceral variations (renal pelvis ureter syndrome). No specific studies have been carried out for the monthly dosing regimen, and there is no clinical experience with Ibandronic Acid in pregnant women.
Nursing Mothers: Ibandronic Acid should not be used by nursing mothers during lactation. In lactating rats given ibandronic acid intravenously at 0.08 mg/kg/day, the highest concentration of the drug found in breast milk was 8.1 ng/ml, occurring within the first 2 hours after administration. By 24 hours, the concentration in milk and in plasma had become similar, at about 5% of the level measured at the 2 hour mark.
⚠️ Talk to your doctor before taking any medicine during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
Dosage Reference
⚠️ Reference ranges from official sources only. Consult your doctor for personalized dosing.
Side Effects & Interactions
Side Effects
No side-effect data recorded yet.