Osteoporosis and osteoporotic fractures have a high impact on the quality of life of patients and on the financial aspects of Western health care systems. There is a tremendous need for improvement of the treatment outcome in osteoporotic fracture patients and biomaterials are of interest to stimulate fracture healing in those patients. For adequate characterization of biomaterials for the indication of osteoporotic fractures a clinically relevant animal model with a fracture defect in the

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... hyseal region of a long bone in an osteoporotic animal is required. We recently developed a 3-5 mm wedge shaped osteotomy model in the distal metaphysis of the femur in osteoporotic rats. There are different biomaterials approaches to stimulate fracture healing in osteoporotic fractures and recently published results suggest that the composite implants from osteoconductive carriers combined with osteoanabolic agents, e.g., strontium-modified calcium phosphate cement, can enhance new bone formation. Further in vivo and clinical research will be necessary in the future for introduction of new and different types of biomaterials for osteoporotic fracture patients into all day clinical practice.