Dosage forms for oral administration of zoledronic acid or related compounds for treating disease

A method of safely and effectively treating arthritis by delivering zoledronic acid to the blood of a human being through repeated oral administration comprising:

• orally administering an oral dosage form comprising zoledronic acid, in an acid form or a salt form, to the human being suffering from arthritis at an interval of about 1 to 21 days, wherein the oral dosage form is administered after a fast of at least 4 hours, and after the oral dosage form is administered the human being continues to fast for at least 4 hours;
• wherein the oral dosage form is prepared by a method comprising:
• mixing zoledronic acid with a diluent, a binder, a disintegrating agent, or a lubricant to form a pharmaceutical composition;
• and
• forming the pharmaceutical composition into the oral dosage form, wherein the oral dosage form contains at least 10% of the zoledronic acid by weight;
• wherein the amount of the zoledronic acid in a single dose is about 30 mg to about 100 mg.