Overuse and Underuse of Osteoporosis Drugs Save

A population-based sudy 824 post-menopausal women ≥50 years old from Valencia, Spain was studied to estimate the percentage of women eligible for treatment, and the proportion of overuse and underuse of antiosteoporotic treatment according to highly-influential osteoporosis guidelines (HIOG).

The prevalence of antiosteoporotic treatment in postmenopausal women ≥ 50 in Valencia was 20.9% (95%CI:17.6–24.4). Of the 8 million women 50 years old and over in Spain, the number eligible for treatment would range from 0.7 to 3.8 million, depending on the guideline used. A high percentage of mistreatments was found - including overuse (42–78% depending on the guideline used) and underuse (7–41%).

Guidelines for use were important determinants to utilization in this Spanish population.