LAS VEGAS—Routine bisphosphonate treatment of women older than 65 years who sustain a distal radius fracture could significantly reduce the risk for additional fractures, primarily hip fractures, but at an estimated cost of more than $2 billion annually, according to a study presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).
More than 50% of men and women older than 80 years meet diagnostic criteria for osteoporosis, placing them at increased risk for bone fractures, including hip fractures, which cause an estimated 300,000 unplanned hospital admissions in the United States each year. The lifetime cost of a hip fracture is estimated at $81,300, of which approximately 44% of the costs are associated with nursing facility expenses. Bisphosphonates, a drug known to increase bone mass and prevent fractures, have been associated with atypical femur fractures in a small, but significant number of patients.
Researchers reviewed existing literature and Medicare data to determine distal radius fracture incidence and age-specific hip fracture rates after distal radius fracture with and without bisphosphonate treatment. A model was then created to determine future fracture rates with and without treatment and related costs.
The model predicted 357,656 lifetime hip fractures following distal radius fracture in all females age 65 years and older in the US. If these patients received regular bisphosphonate treatment following a distal radius fracture, the number of hip fractures would drop to 262,767 over the lifetime of these patients; however, an estimated 19,464 patients would suffer an atypical femur fracture as a result of the treatment.
The cost of routine bisphosphonate treatment, including the cost for treating associated atypical femur fractures, comes to a lifetime total of $19.5 billion, or approximately $205,534 per avoided hip fracture.
“Our study suggests that routine universal utilization of bisphosphonates in elderly women after distal radius fracture would not be economically advantageous despite the cost savings associated with reduction of the hip fracture burden in that population,” said lead study author, Suneel B. Bhat, MD, an orthopedic surgery resident at the Rothman Institute in Philadelphia.
The study authors also hypothesize that the cost of bisphosphonates would need to drop to $70 per patient each year, from the current average annual wholesale cost of $1,485 per patient, to make the treatment affordable to every patient age 65 years and older following a wrist fracture. In addition, selecting patients at lower risk for atypical femur fractures for treatment may reduce the number of bisphosphonate-related fractures. Confirming patient osteoporosis and fracture risk through a DEXA Scan (dual x-ray absorptiometry) before prescribing bisphosphonates remains the most cost-effective method for treating osteoporosis and avoiding subsequent fractures.