US FDA Approves GSK's, Roche's Once-Monthly Osteoporosis Drug

The US FDA has approved a once-monthly version Boniva tablets, an osteoporosis treatment marketed jointly by Swiss drugmaker Roche and the UK's GlaxoSmithKline.

The FDA approved a daily version of Boniva (ibandronate sodium) in 2003, but the companies decided not to launch the drug until it developed a more convenient dosing method. Most rival osteoporosis drugs, such as Merck's Fosamax (alendronate sodium) and sanofi-aventis' Actonel (risedronate sodium), must be taken either daily or weekly.