Clinical efficacy of oral alendronate in ankylosing spondylitis: a randomised placebo-controlled trial.

Objectives: A prospective, double blind, randomised, placebo controlled trial over 2 years was performed to test the efficacy of alendronate, an oral aminobisphosphonate, in improving symptoms and arrest disease progression in patients with mild to severe ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Methods: 180 patients with AS were randomised to receive weekly alendronate 70 mg or placebo (1:1 randomisation). BAS-G was the primary outcome measure with Bath indices as secondary outcomes.