The impact of dosing frequency on compliance and persistence with bisphosphonates among postmenopausal women in the UK: Evidence from three databases

ABSTRACTBackground: Bisphosphonates are currently among the most effective therapies for the treatment of osteoporosis and provide one of the mainstays of treatment in the UK. However studies in several countries have all reported sub-optimal compliance and persistence with treatment.Objective: To examine the impact of dosing frequency on compliance and persistence with bisphosphonates in the UK.Methods: Three UK General Practitioner sourced databases, the General Practice Research Database (GPRD), IMS Disease Analyzer (MEDIPLUS) and the Doctors Independent Network Database (DIN-LINK) were used to identify bisphosphonate naive postmenopausal women. In each of the three retrospective analyses women were grouped into weekly or daily cohorts and followed for 12 months from an initial prescription. Compliance was measured as a Medication Possession Ratio (MPR), defined as the proportion of days for which patients had prescription coverage. Persistence was measured as the number of continuous days of treatment...