Adverse Gastrointestinal Effects of Alendronate Versus Risedronate in Osteoporosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Bisphosphonates (BPs; alendronate and risedronate) have been approved as a therapy for osteoporosis. While the efficacy of these drugs appears similar, differences in safety and gastrointestinal tract (GIT) adverse effects are lacking. Consequently, a systematic review and a meta-analysis were carried out reporting on the incidence rate of GIT adverse effects and the safety of alendronate versus risedronate. In this study, the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were used. This study collected articles from Embase, PubMed, Cochrane library, and Web of Science. Only RCTs that focused on the comparison between alendronate and risedronate in treating patients with osteoporosis were included. Risk ratios (RRs), 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and random-effects model were calculated. This meta-analysis identified 2202 studies including 4151 participants. There were six eligible RCTs. The incidence rate of GIT adverse effects in patients who received alendronate was 20.19%, while the incidence rate in patients who received risedronate was 18.30%. The rate of GIT adverse effects was not significantly different with alendronate compared to risedronate (RR: 1.11; 95% CI: 0.86–1.42; P < 0.44). In this review, the incidence rate of alendronate-associated gastrointestinal (GI) adverse effects was slightly higher than the incidence rate of risedronate-associated GI adverse effects. Although the finding is not statistically significant, switching the patient from alendronate to risedronate may nevertheless lower the incidence rate of GI side effects.