Intermittent cyclical therapy with etidronate increases bone mineral density in spine and hip, and reduces the incidence of new vertebral fractures in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis, as well as steroid-induced osteoporosis. Seven years treatment with etidronate was reported to be safe, effective and well-tolerated. And additive effects of etidronate were documented in bone mineral density when hormone replacement therapy was combined. Recently many bisphosphonates have been commercially available in clinics. Although the potency of etidronate to inhibit bone resorption is relatively weak among those bisphosphonates, equal effects for others in osteoporosis can be obtained with the intermittent therapy, which is easy to be complied for the patients with less adverse events. In conclusion cyclical etidronate therapy is still important for osteoporosis therapy.