[Correspondence] Teriparatide vs risedronate for osteoporosis (Lancet)

David L Kendler and colleagues (Jan 20, p 230)1 compared the anti-fracture efficacy of subcutaneous teriparatide injections with that of oral risedronate in patients with severe osteoporosis, and indicated that the risk of new vertebral and clinical fractures is significantly lower in patients receiving teriparatide than in those receiving risedronate. Nevertheless, it seems to me that a comparison between a parenteral and an oral anti-osteoporosis drug might be of relatively minor clinical significance.