Spinal and non-spinal fractures are reduced by almost a third in women age 80 or older who take a drug called strontium ranelate, European investigators announced at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology that is underway in San Antonio, Texas.

Strontium is known to home in bones, and the ranelate compound has been shown to stimulate bone formation while inhibiting bone resorption. Fractures of the vertebrae of the spine can be a particularly debilitating consequence of the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis, which affects many post-menopausal women.

Principal investigator Dr. Jean Yves Reginster of the University of Liege, Belgium, presented the results of an analysis that pooled data from two large trials of strontium ranelate’s ability to treat osteoporosis.

The two studies involved nearly 7000 postmenopausal women with low bone density. In both, participants were randomly assigned to take 2 grams of strontium ranelate daily or a placebo, plus calcium and vitamin D supplements for a 3-year period.

Reginster reported an “early and sustained vertebral anti-fracture efficacy” with strontium ranelate. Active treatment reduced the risk of spinal fractures by 32 percent and non-spinal fractures by 31 percent in women 80 years of age or older.

“This is the first time we have shown this with a drug…This is particularly important in these oldest women,” Reginster told Reuters Health. “The safety data are outstanding with minimal gastrointestinal side effects,” he added.

Strontium ranelate received approval last month in Europe, and Reginster predicts it will be on the shelves there within 6 months. “We are looking for U.S.-based partners to conduct bridging studies to confirm European and Australian data,” he said.