Using Discrete Choice Experiment to elicit patient preferences for osteoporosis drug treatments: where to from here?

Osteoporosis is a disease that increases skeletal fracture risk and places a significant health and economic burden on patients, families, and health systems. Many treatment options exist, but patient use is suboptimal, thus undermining the potential cost-effectiveness of treatments. In the previous issue of Arthritis Research & Therapy, Hiligsmann and colleagues expanded the findings of previous studies to report, from a sample of 257 patients with osteoporosis, the preference to trade off clinical outcomes for the amenity provided by convenient dosing regimens. This editorial critiques the strengths and limitations of the methods, discusses the potential utility of patient treatment preferences, and suggests avenues for further research.