When to stop, switch, or pause long-term osteoporosis medicines for older adults
Official title: Benefits and Harms of Long-term Osteoporosis Pharmacotherapy: Impact of Treatment Length, Type, Switching, and Holidays
Funded at Brown University · NIH-11410913 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether stopping, switching, or taking breaks from long-term osteoporosis drugs changes fracture risk and side effects for older adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Brown University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Providence, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $138,134 |
| NIH project number | 3R01AG078759-04S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11410913 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people aged 65 and older who have been taking oral bisphosphonates for at least three years, including community-dwelling elders and nursing home residents.
✕Less likely to help
Younger people, those who have not used osteoporosis drugs long-term, or patients treated for conditions other than osteoporosis are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this work.
What this research studies
Younger and older adults on long-term oral bisphosphonates (three or more years) will be compared based on whether they continue treatment, stop for a drug holiday, or switch to another osteoporosis medicine. The team will use existing U.S. healthcare and nursing home records to track fractures, serious complications like atypical femur fractures, death, and moves into nursing homes. They will analyze both community-dwelling older adults and nursing home residents to fill gaps not covered by prior trials. The approach is observational using large real-world databases and statistical methods to compare outcomes across different treatment patterns.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could help patients and clinicians make safer, more personalized decisions about how long to stay on osteoporosis medicines or whether to switch or pause them.
How similar studies have gone: Prior clinical trials in mainly women have shown little difference in fracture risk after stopping versus continuing bisphosphonates at 3–5 years, but evidence is limited for men and nursing home residents.
Where this research is happening
-
Brown University
Providence, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hayes, Kaleen Nicole — Brown University
- Study coordinator: Hayes, Kaleen Nicole
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.