Third-generation SERMs for osteoporosis

Prof J Bernard Walsh of the Bone Health Clinic at the Mercer’s Institute for Research on Ageing looks at third-generation selective oestrogen receptor modulators and their role in osteoporosis. For most patients, bisphosphonates remain ‘the backbone’ of the treatment of osteoporosis.  However, for younger women in the early postmenopausal years who require treatment for osteoporosis, there are an increasing range of options available.  Selective oestrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) are one of these options. Early postmenopausal osteoporosis usually affects the vertebrae to a greater extent than the hip, due to the greater loss of trabecular bone in the spine over cortical…