Patients on dialysis who take denosumab face a 36% higher risk for major cardiovascular adverse events than patients who take oral bisphosphonates, according to a study published Jan. 6 in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Researchers from Kyoto University conducted an observational study of 1,032 dialysis-dependent patients aged 50 and older who took either denosumab or an oral bisphosphonate for osteoporosis. Denosumab treats osteoporosis, hypercalcemia, and bone cancer and bone problems in cancer patients, according to Mayo Clinic.
The 658 patients who received denosumab between April 2015 and October 2021 experienced a 45% lower risk of fractures compared to the 374 who took oral bisphosphonates. However, in addition to the 36% higher risk for cardiovascular problems, denosumab's MACE risk increased by 8.2% at the three-year follow-up.
The study concluded that these findings require further research.
Read more about the results here.