As chronic kidney disease becomes more severe, the likelihood of having low bone mineral density (BMD) and osteoporosis increases. The risk of bone fractures associated with osteoporosis is particularly concerning for post-menopausal women, who are already at a higher risk for reduced BMD. In a recent issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, scientists reported that an osteoporosis drug called raloxifene (marketed as Evista®) is safe and effective for post-menopausal women with chronic kidney disease.

The researchers studied the effects of raloxifene over a three-year period in post-menopausal women with kidney disease between the ages of 31 and 80 years. Of the 7705 participants in the study, approximately half were treated with raloxifene and the remainder were treated with a placebo containing no active drug. The scientists found that, among patients with similar kidney function, raloxifene increased BMD at the hip. Raloxifene treatment also increased BMD at the spine and reduced fractures of the spinal vertebrae regardless of kidney function. However, it did not have any effect on other types of bone fractures.

Previous studies on osteoporosis therapy have typically excluded individuals with chronic kidney disease, so the importance of this trial is in its demonstration that raloxifene is safe and potentially beneficial to bone health in patients with impaired kidney function.