Standard first-line drug therapies for the treatment of bone density disorders have been linked to higher risk of experiencing a cardiovascular event, according to a study published June 26 in Epic Research.
Here are five notes on the study:
- Two independent research teams analyzed 447,208 patient health records from Epic’s Cosmos dataset for the study. The dataset includes 300 million patient records from 1,700 hospitals and more than 39,000 clinics from 50 states and the District of Columbia, Canada, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.
- Medications featured in the analysis include first-line therapies denosumab and bisphosphonates, and alternative therapies romosozumab, teriparatide and abaloparatide.
- Denosumab was associated with a 23% higher risk of developing atrial fibrillation.
- Bisphosphonates were associated with a slightly lower risk of ischemic stroke compared to patients prescribed calcium or vitamin D.
- Teriparatide was associated with a 44% higher risk of developing atrial fibrillation and a 35% higher risk of heart attack compared to patients prescribed calcium or vitamin D.
- No conclusive evidence showed an association between romosozumab or abaloparatide and cardiovascular events.
Read the full study here.
