An experimental drug containing strontium makes bones denser and decreases the risk of fractures, a study of elderly women finds. The results add the drug, called strontium ranelate, to a wave of new treatments for osteoporosis.
Strontium, a soft metal with chemical similarities to calcium, is widely dispersed in nature. In the 1950s, strontium emerged as a potential osteoporosis drug because it shows a natural attraction to bone.
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