What do systematic reviews say?

Intermittent/cyclic etidronate 400 mg/day vs placebo

Intermittent/cyclic etidronate 400 mg/day showed no clear difference in clinical vertebral fractures compared with placebo (low certainty).

• Etidronate for the primary and secondary prevention of osteoporotic fractures in postmenopausal women 2024 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  RR 3.03 [0.32, 28.44]
  Studies not reported
  Low

Risedronate 5 mg/day vs placebo

• Risedronate for the primary and secondary prevention of osteoporotic fractures in postmenopausal women 2022 · Cochrane Headline outcomes only
  no estimate extracted
  Studies not reported
  Low