Calcium costs
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Calcium carbonate (GlaxoSmithKline's Os-Cal) more cost-effective than calcium citrate (Mission Pharmacal's Citracal), Robert Heaney, MD, Creighton University, et al., report in June Journal of the American College of Nutrition. After determining equivalent bioavailability of two products in 24 postmenopausal women, researchers note carbonate product costs 16[cents]-20[cents] per 1,000 mg of ingested calcium, while citrate product costs 24[cents]-38[cents] per 1,000 mg. Universal calcium carbonate supplementation of individuals over 65 would provide "net potential benefit [of] $478 mil./year," Heaney et al. state. Study was funded by GSK. In Citracal promotions, Mission Pharmacal has pointed to 1999 study showing calcium citrate is more bioavailable than carbonate (1"The Tan Sheet" Nov. 22, 1999, p. 11)
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