Bisphosphonates: therapeutics potential and recent advances in drug delivery

Figures & data

Figure 1. Pictorial view of bisphosphonates drugs.

Figure 2. Disadvantages of BPs and their advances as novel drug delivery systems.

Table 1. US FDA approved bisphosphonates: their routes of administration, adverse effects and mechanism of action.

S. no.	Drug	Routes of administration	Adverse effects	Mechanism of action of BPs
1.	Risedronate	Oral	Dyspepsia, back pain, abdominal pain, arthralgia	Bisphosphonates bind to the surfaces of the bones and slow down the bone resorbing action of the osteoclast cells. It alters the balance between the osteoclast cells and the osteoblast cells such that bone loss is usually stopped and bone strength is improved
2.	Zolendronate	IV	Arthralgia, osteonecrosis of jaw, flu like syndrome, renal failure, atrial fibrillation, fever, pain and stiffness in the muscles, bones or joints, and headache
3.	Ibandronate	Oral IV	Dyspepsia, dysphagia, esophagitis, ulcers, diarrhea, pain in extremities, flu like reaction, headache, pain in bone, muscle, or joint
4.	Alendronate	Oral	Abdominal pain, dyspepsia, bone, skeleton pain, nausea, constipation, diarrhea, esophagitis, esophageal erosions, osteonecrosis of jaw