Follow-on osteoporosis therapy after denosumab discontinuation among Medicare beneficiaries.

ABSTRACT: Denosumab is an effective osteoporosis therapy, but discontinuing treatment can result in rebound-associated fractures. Guidelines recommend starting follow-on osteoporosis therapy within 6 months of the last dose, but real-world practice is under-described. We found only 6.0% of patients initiated follow-on therapy within 1 year after denosumab discontinuation, suggesting many are at increased fracture risk.

Purpose

We aimed to describe the incidence and predictors of follow-on osteoporosis therapy use for US Medicare beneficiaries who discontinued denosumab.

Methods

In this cohort study, we identified patients who initiated denosumab (60 mg) between 2010 and 2021 from a 20% random sample of Medicare beneficiaries. Denosumab discontinuation was defined as 60-day gap in use.

SUBMITTER: Sendhil SR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12744900 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature