Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the pathway to treatment for a patient diagnosed with osteoporosis.

We would expect healthcare professionals to follow the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) clinical knowledge summary on osteoporosis and the prevention of fragility fractures. The clinical knowledge summary outlines the steps that healthcare professionals should take in the assessment and management of osteoporosis.

A diagnosis of osteoporosis is made following clinical assessment and in some cases by use of blood tests and DEXA scans. The National Health Service does not provide universal osteoporosis screening, instead, a targeted approach is used to identify those most likely to benefit from assessment and treatment. Tools like FRAX are recommended to calculate 10-year fracture risk and guide clinical decisions. A DEXA scan can also be used to measure bone mineral density.

There are a number of NICE recommended treatments for osteoporosis. Since 2022, two new drugs have been recommended by NICE for the treatment of osteoporosis in post-menopausal women, abaloparatide and romosozumab. These medications help to strengthen the bones and prevent bone loss, reducing the risk of fractures.