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Widely used osteoporosis drugs designed to prevent bones from breaking may increase the risk of a rare type of thigh fracture, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The agency notified consumers and health care workers that all bisphosphonates will now carry a new warning about the fractures on their safety labels.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says data from an ongoing safety review of oral bisphosphonates, such as Fosamax, prescribed for the treatment of bone loss, do not appear to be related to an increased risk of thigh fractures. However, the agency is telling health care professionals to be aware of a possible risk of atypical subtrochanteric femur fractures in patients using bisphosphonates.
The ongoing safety review was initiated in June 2008, following published case reports of this specific type of thigh fracture in patients with osteoporosis taking bisphosphonates. The agency says it will continue to study this issue along with a team of outside experts, which includes members of the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research Subtrochanteric Femoral Fracture Task Force.
