May 3 : A new study has found that a once-yearly treatment which includes receiving Reclast (zoledronic acid) Injection or placebo, significantly reduced the incidence of all types of osteoporotic bone fractures over three years in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Reclast belongs to a class of drugs called bisphosphonates, which are used to treat osteoporosis. Unlike other bisphosphonate treatments that require women to take daily, weekly, or monthly doses for postmenopausal osteoporosis, Reclast is given as a once-yearly 15-minute infusion.

The study titled Phase III was conducted by a team of researchers at FDA.

As part of the study, researchers injected Reclast or placebo in more than 7,700 women between the ages of 65 and 89 in 27 countries, having postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Researchers found that Reclast reduced the frequency of fractures among the areas of the body that are typically affected by osteoporosis, including the hip, spine, and wrist. Specifically, a 70 percent reduction was achieved in spine fractures. The risk of hip fractures, which are associated with significant mortality, was reduced by 41 percent.

The study also found that bone mineral density increased significantly in the spine by 6.7 percent and in the hip by 6 percent in women on Reclast compared to those who received placebo.

The findings of the study will be published in The New England Journal of Medicine. (ANI)