A brief history of FRAX

Abstract

Summary: This paper reviews the research programme that went into the development of FRAX® and its impact in the 10 years since its release in 2008. Introduction: Osteoporosis is defined on the measurement of bone mineral density though the clinical consequence is fracture. The sensitivity of bone mineral density measurements for fracture prediction is low, leading to the development of FRAX to better calculate the likelihood of fracture and target anti-osteoporosis treatments. Methods: The method used in this paper is literature review. Results: FRAX, developed over an 8-year period, was launched in 2008. Since the launch of FRAX, models have been made available for 64 countries and in 31 languages covering more than 80% of the world population. Conclusion: FRAX provides an advance in fracture risk assessment and a reference technology platform for future improvements in performance characteristics.