Resumen de The rise and fall of strontium as a therapeutic agent and the importance of of pharmacovigilance

Stewart E. Glaspole

• Strontium is an alkaline earth metal that has similar properties to its neighbours in the periodic table, barium and calcium. Early experiments showed that strontium had the effect of reducing bone loss and increasing bone formation. Its properties in humans were investigated ana it was shown to be an effective treatment for osteoporosis, a disease with a significant health-economic burden. Only when extensive clinical trial data were analysed, after many years of treatment had elapsed, did it become apparent that strontium increased adverse cardiac events in those who took It.

  This pharmacovigilance eventually led to the medicine being withdrawn from the market and is a good example of how important the assessment of real-world data is in assessing medicine safety.