ArticleOsteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA2012
Osteoporosis medication prescribing in British Columbia and Ontario: impact of public drug coverage.
Article in Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Adverse Gastrointestinal Effects of Alendronate Versus Risedronate in Osteoporosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Annals of African medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Osteoporosis medication use over time in the United States and Canada.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2025Article
- Commentary: Zebrafish as a Model for Osteoporosis-An Approach to Accelerating Progress in Drug and Exercise-Based Treatment.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Over half of seniors who start oral bisphosphonate therapy are exposed for 3 or more years: novel rolling window approach and patterns of use.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2021Article
- Use of an electronic medical record dashboard to identify gaps in osteoporosis care.Archives of osteoporosis · 2021Article
- Time trends in oral bisphosphonate initiation in Ontario, Canada over 20 years reflect drug policy and healthcare delivery changes.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2019Article
- Denosumab and breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women: a population-based cohort study.British journal of cancer · 2018Article
- Glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis management among seniors, by year, sex, and indication, 1996-2012.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2015Article
- Uptake and characteristics of zoledronic acid and denosumab patients and physicians in Ontario, Canada: impact of drug formulary access.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2015Article
- Osteoporosis management and fractures in the Métis of Ontario, Canada.Archives of osteoporosis · 2015Article
- Comparison of orally administered bisphosphonate drugs in reducing the risk of hip fracture in older adults: a population-based cohort study.CMAJ open · 2013Article
- Adherence with medications used to treat osteoporosis: behavioral insights.Current osteoporosis reports · 2013Review
- An Introduction to Health Care Administrative Data.The Canadian journal of hospital pharmacyArticle
- Article
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6 authors.
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Abstract
unlabelledWe compared the patterns of osteoporosis medication prescribing between two provinces in Canada with different public drug coverage policies. Oral bisphosphonates were the primary drugs used, yet access to the second-generation oral bisphosphonates (alendronate, risedronate) was limited in one region. Implications of differential access to oral bisphosphonates warrants further study.
introductionApproved therapies for treating osteoporosis in Canada include bisphosphonates, calcitonin, denosumab, raloxifene, and teriparatide. However, significant variation in access to these medications through public drug coverage exists across Canada. We sought to compare patterns of osteoporosis medication prescribing between British Columbia (BC) and Ontario.
methodsUsing dispensing data from BC (PharmaNet) and Ontario (Ontario Drug Benefits), we identified all new users of osteoporosis medications aged 66 or more years from 1995/1996 to 2008/2009. We summarized the number of new users by fiscal year, sex, and index drug for each province. BC data were also stratified by whether drugs were dispensed within or outside public PharmaCare.
resultsWe identified 578,254 (n = 122,653 BC) eligible new users. Overall patterns were similar between provinces: (1) most patients received an oral bisphosphonate (93% in BC and 99% in Ontario); (2) etidronate prescribing declined after 2001/2002, reaching a low of 41% in BC and 10% in Ontario in 2008/2009; and (3) the proportion of males treated increased over time, from 7% in 1996/1997 to 25% in 2008/2009. However, we note major differences within versus outside the BC PharmaCare system. In particular, <2% of drugs dispensed within PharmaCare compared to 79% of drugs dispensed outside PharmaCare were for a second-generation bisphosphonate (alendronate or risedronate).
conclusionsOral bisphosphonates are the primary drugs used to treat osteoporosis in Canada. Prescribing practices changed over time as newer medications came to market, yet access to second-generation bisphosphonates through BC PharmaCare was limited. Implications of differential access to oral bisphosphonates warrants further study.
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