News tagged with 'Bisphosphonates'

While a new study reassures patients who take bone-building drugs to treat osteoporosis, a recent study indicates that the quality of bone among users may be brittle. The latest study is sponsored by drug makers, Merck and Novartis.

The FDA responds to Fosamax studies warning of brittle bones with prolonged use.

Fosamax and similar drugs are supposed to make bones stronger. But new research shows staying on these drugs for five or more years can increase the risk of hip fractures.

The first trial accusing Merck of withholding information on the dangers of osteoporosis drug, Fosamax, has ended in a mistrial after Juror No. 5 says she was intimidated and threatened by the other seven jurors for siding with the plaintiff.

Merck & Co. will face the first of several hundred lawsuits today brought by patients who claim they suffered jaw damage from the company’s widely used drug, Fosamax for treatment of osteoporosis.

Fosamax, a popular osteoporosis drug, has been linked with rare, but serious, side effects, including heart irregularity, osteonecrosis of the jaw and most recently Esophageal Cancer reports the FDA in a letter published in the January issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Previous studies had indicated that the risk of developing a jaw condition, ONJ, or osteonecrosis of the jaw that loosens teeth and softens bone, was negligible. A new study suggests the jaw condition might be more common than previously thought. 

New research presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium suggests adding the bone-strengthening drug Zometa to chemotherapy shrinks breast tumors more than chemo alone, helping more women to avoid mastectomy.

Popular bone-building medications known as bisphosphonates may have a rare, but serious, cardiac side effect. A review of available research found these medications may increase the risk of atrial fibrillation -- a disorder that affects as many as 2.2 million Americans.

Bisphosphonates, are a class of drug used to treat osteoporosis that slows or stops the reabsorption of bone, which are being linked to a condition in which jawbone tissue dies.