Bone drug extends joint life

A common bone drug could extend the life of replacement joints after hip or knee surgery, and make it less likely for patients to need a repeat operation, new research shows.

Most patients need revision surgery within ten years of a hip or knee joint replacement, due to infection, wear, loosening or other mechanical failures. Bisphosphonate is a drug used to prevent fractures and has been associated with an almost twofold increase in implant survival time.

The study examined data on 41,995 patients over 40 undergoing hip or knee replacement surgery from 1986-2006 for osteoarthritis, and found that bisphosphonate users had a significantly lower revision rate at five years than non-users.

The researchers estimate that, for every 107 joint replacement patients taking bisphosphonates, one revision operation would be avoided.

They suggest that this effect could be due to the drugs’ suppression of long-term inflammatory response after surgery that can lead to bone loss and loosening of the implant. They recommend further research is needed, yet state that the protective effect of the drug can be assumed to be valid for the wider population.

The study was published today on bmj.com.