Bone drugs: femur fracture side effect revisited

Courtesy of WSJ

A widely prescribed class of drugs for osteoporosis might be associated with a very rare but serious type of fracture in the thigh bone when used long-term, according to a new report. The American Society of Bone and Mineral Research task force recommends in the report that the Food and Drug Administration rewrite the labels for the drugs, called bisphosphonates, to warn doctors and patients about the possibility of atypical femur fractures. The report will be published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.

Dr. Elizabeth Shane, co-chair of the task force and a professor of medicine at Columbia University, said people currently taking the drugs who experience persistent pain in the thigh or groin should talk to their doctor because it could be a sign of an atypical femur fracture.