From the Popular Press: What Your Patients are Reading:

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) can increase the risk of osteoporosis, yet the use of the osteoporosis drug raloxifene for CKD patients has been controversial due to unknown interactions with the disease. A new study comprising data on 7705 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, however, has confirmed the safety and effectiveness of the drug for women with mild-to-moderate CKD. The conclusion is based on 3-year data of osteoporotic women with and without CKD who took raloxifene. Those taking raloxifene had a greater increase in spine bone mineral density and hip bone mineral density, and had a greater reduction in vertebral fractures, than women taking a placebo. Many postmenopausal women have undiagnosed CKD, so some doctors were reticent to prescribe raloxifene without knowing its effects on kidney function. With the results of the study showing that raloxifene is safe for women with decreased kidney function and still provides the anti-osteoporosis benefits that women with normal kidney function receive, doctors can be less conservative in their prescribing of raloxifene to their patients.

Read the full text of this article on healthday.com