The Alliance for Better Health, formed by Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals and Aventis Pharmaceuticals (now a member of the Sanofi-Aventis Group), has announced US FDA approval for Actonel® with Calcium (risedronate sodium tablets with calcium carbonate, USP), the first prescription osteoporosis therapy to include calcium. Indicated for the prevention and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis and marketed by the Alliance for Better Health, Actonel with Calcium provides 4 weeks of therapy (7 tablets a week) comprising four 35 mg once-a-week Actonel tablets and 24 six-times-a-week 500 mg calcium tablets. Calcium is included with Actonel to realize the full effectiveness of the bisphosphonate therapy and also meet the daily calcium requirements for women over 50. According to the Surgeon General's Report on Bone Health and Osteoporosis, the average adult intake of calcium is approximately 700 mg/day, below the US RDA of 1200 mg for women over 50.