Clinical pharmacology of bisphosphonates: literature revue focussed on tiludronate in horses

Tiludronate, a bisphosphonate, has recently been licensed in several European countries, but not in Belgium, for the treatment of navicular disease and osteoarthritis of the hock joints (bone spavin) in horses. In a first part, this review article summarizes the main pharmacological properties of this class of drugs, as well as their indications in both human and veterinary medicine. In a second part, the methods of efficacy assessment of bisphosphonates, along with the difficulties encountered in their application in horses, are discussed. Finally, a review of available data about pharmacology of tiludronate in horses is presented. In conclusion, tiludronate seems to be promising in the field of locomotor diseases therapy in horses, but further studies are still required in order to better document their potentials and limitations.