- Community-dwelling, ambulatory (with or without assistive device), postmenopausal
females, age greater than 65 years.
- BMD T-score (total hip or femoral neck) of -2.5 or less in at least 1 hip. Subjects
with BMD T-scores of -2.0 or less may be enrolled if at least one of the following
risk factors is also present:
- Age greater than 75 years
- Family (maternal) history of fragility fracture
- Previous fragility fracture (self) after age 45
- Subjects may either be treatment naïve or on a previously-established regimen (
greater than 1year, but less than 5 years duration) of bisphosphonate therapy.
Subjects must be willing to comply with 1of the 3 protocol-designated oral
bisphosphonates (risedronate, alendronate, or ibandronate sodium) with risedronate
considered as first-line therapy.
- Metabolic bone disorder or disease affecting bone and mineral metabolism (eg, Paget's
disease, vitamin D deficiency [ less than 20 ng/mL], hyperparathyroidism, renal
osteodystrophy, osteomalacia, hypocalcemia, hypercalcemia).
- Coagulopathy and/or history of venous thromboembolic events (deep vein thrombosis,
pulmonary embolus, retinal vein thrombosis) within the past 12 months.
- Inflammatory arthritis including rheumatoid, psoriatic, or crystal-induced (gouty)
arthritis, or those associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE),
spondyloarthropathy, Reiters syndrome, or Crohns disease.