About one in every 100 people in the world takes glucocorticoids long term to treat immune-mediated diseases. However, glucocorticoids, such as prednisone, have a side effect — they induce glucocorticoid-induced bone loss, causing an estimated yearly bone fracture rate of 5 percent. An alternative treatment option to the standard treatment now appears promising, according to an international study. Researchers compared the monoclonal antibody denosumab against a standard bisphosphonate.