Osteoporosis drug may increace chance of unusual thigh fractures..yikes!

[SoCalDem]

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE69C67N20101013


FDA warns of thigh fractures with bone drugs



By Lisa Richwine

WASHINGTON | Wed Oct 13, 2010 5:43pm EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Osteoporosis drugs used by millions of women to prevent bones from breaking may increase the chances for an unusual type of thigh fracture, U.S. health officials warned on Wednesday.

The drugs known as bisphosphonates include Merck & Co Inc's Fosamax, Roche Holding AG's Boniva, Novartis AG's Reclast and Warner Chilcott Plc's Actonel. The action could drive patients to Amgen Inc's just-launched rival medicine, Prolia, a different type of osteoporosis drug that is the company's most important future growth driver.

Food and Drug Administration officials said all bisphosphonates used for osteoporosis will carry a new warning about rare but serious fractures of the thigh bone, even though it remains unclear if the medicines caused the fractures. The agency advised doctors to consider if patients on therapy for more than five years still need the drugs. The new warning "should not cause patients taking bisphosphonates to be fearful of their medicine," said Dr. Sandra Kweder, deputy director of the FDA's new drugs office.


snip

[deaniac21]

1. I'm passing....

:think:

[SoCalDem]

2. me too.. I don't take ANY meds..not even aspirin

If I have an upset stomach, I drink a 7-up,, if I have a headache, I take a nap.. when I had hot flashes, I used a fan:)

My bones are probably crumbling away, but I don;t want to take scary meds..

[Systematic Chaos]

3. Osteoporosis drugs are largely prescribed to treat an INVENTED illness.

The drug companies invented osteopenia, and called it a "precursor to osteporosis", so that they could make billions on drugs like Boniva, Fosamax and others.

http://www.citizen.org/documents/hl_sept05.pdf

The way to keep bones healthy is to stop excess dietary protein from leaching calcium out of the bones to begin with, not dangerous and dubious drug "cures."

http://www.drmcdougall.com/med_hot_osteoporosis.html

[SoCalDem]

4. and to understand that as we age, we also "break down"

and one needs to step more carefully & avoid slick surfaces if possible..

[HopeHoops]

6. All bisphosphonates do is slow down the natural deterioration of bone matter.

They don't "cure" it or "fix" anything. The entire concept is to allow the natural regeneration process to get a leg up on the natural decaying process. Fosamax (alendronate sodium) made me really ill so I'm going to try Boniva. They're pretty sure my condition is hereditary so I'm not expecting any major changes as a result of ANY drug.

[McCamy Taylor]

5. I have NEVER seen an osteoporosis pat with a femur fracture. Ever.

I suspect that this is a tempest in a tea pot designed to discourage the use of generics and encourage the use of patent drugs---the same way that Seldane was taken off the market just as it became generic.

FDA to the rescue!...of drug company profits.