Zinc Pharmacotherapy for Elderly Osteoporotic Patients with Zinc Deficiency in a Clinical Setting

Although there have been reported associations between zinc and bone mineral density (BMD), no reports exist on the effect of zinc treatment in osteoporotic patients. Therefore, we investigated the efficacy and safety of zinc pharmacotherapy in Japanese elderly patients. The present investigation included 122 osteoporotic patients with zinc deficiency, aged ≥65 years, who completed 12 months of follow-up. In addition to standard therapy for osteoporosis in a clinical setting, the subjects received oral administration of 25 mg zinc (NOBELZIN^®, an only approved drug for zinc deficiency in Japan) twice a day. BMD and laboratory data including bone turnover markers were collected at 0 (baseline), 6, and 12 months of zinc treatment. Neither serious adverse effects nor incident fractures were seen during the observation period. Serum zinc levels were successfully elevated by zinc administration. BMD increased significantly from baseline at 6 and 12 months of zinc treatment. Percentage changes of serum zinc showed significantly positive associations with those of BMD. Bone formation markers rose markedly from the baseline values, whereas bone resorption markers displayed moderate or no characteristic changes. Additive zinc supplementation may contribute to BMD augmentation ensuing the prevention of fracture occurrence in elderly osteoporotic patients with zinc deficiency.