A candidate identification questionnaire for postmenopausal osteoporosis patients switched from daily or weekly bisphosphonate to once-monthly ibandronate: An open, prospective, multicenter study—BONCURE study
A candidate identification questionnaire (CIQ) was tested to determine its predictive value for patient-reported satisfaction in patients switched from once-weekly or once-daily treatment with a bisphosphonate to once-monthly dosing. This was a prospective, open-label, multicenter international study in patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis who had been receiving once-daily or once-weekly alendronate or risendronate for at least 3 months. Patients completed a CIQ, then commenced 150 mg monthly ibandronate for 6 months. Patients completed the Osteoporosis Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (OPSAT-QTM) at baseline for 6 months. Scores were converted to composite satisfaction scores (CSS, scale 0-100). Totally 677 patients completed a CIQ, 645 were enrolled in the treatment phase and comprised the intent-to-treat (ITT) population, and 630 completed the study. In the ITT population, 68.1% patients answered “yes” to one or more CIQ questions. OPSAT-Q scores increased for the convenience, quality of life and overall satisfaction domains (p scores for the side effects domains were significant (p preferred the once-monthly dosing schedule and 563 patients (90.7%) found it more convenient. The most common adverse events were dyspepsia (1.9%), nausea (1.1%), and upper abdominal pain (0.9%). Patients are likely to prefer treatment with monthly ibandronate to a weekly or monthly bisphosphonate irrespective of their stated preference before switching treatment.