Analysis of medication treatment for women with osteoporosis: A real-world retrospective study from Chinese tertiary grade A hospital

Purpose

This study aimed to analyze the current medication treatment status for women with osteoporosis (OP) based on real-world prescription data from 2016 to 2021 in Chinese nine cities' tertiary Grade A hospital and systematically describe the medication treatment patterns in women with OP.

Methods

Prescription information for female OP patients in nine cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Tianjin, Zhengzhou, Chengdu, Shenyang, Harbin) was extracted from the Hospital Prescription Analysis Collaboration Project Database of the Hospital Pharmacy Professional Committee of the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association. Statistical analysis was conducted to evaluate demographic characteristics and medication treatment patterns.

Results

A total of 669,505 prescriptions for medication treatment of female OP patients were included in this study. The majority of patients were aged 60 to 99 years (69.79 %) followed by 50 to 59 years (18.81 %) and 40 to 49 years (6.69 %). Geographically, the highest concentration of patients was in North China (Beijing, Tianjin) (43.05 %) followed by East China (Shanghai, Hangzhou) (31.43 %). The top three prescribed medications were active vitamin D and its analogs (40.78 %), calcium supplements (32.51 %), and bisphosphonates (18.75 %). The prescription frequency of menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) was 0.31 %. The proportion of female OP patients receiving monotherapy and two drug combinations therapy is equivalent (about 37 %).

Conclusion

The diagnosis and treatment of female OP patients in China showed regional variations. The most commonly prescribed medications for this population were calcitriol, calcium carbonate with vitamin D3, and alendronate sodium with vitamin D3. The use of MHT was relatively limited.