Bisphosphonate Therapy and Atypical Fractures

On March 10, 2010, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Drug Safety Communication regarding oral bisphosphonates and atypical subtrochanteric femur fractures. The FDA is reviewing this issue along with other experts, including the members of the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) Subtrochanteric Femoral Fracture Task Force.
 

The FDA Drug Safety Communication cites a study by Abrahamsen and colleagues that was published in the June 2009 issue of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research (JBMR). As a service to researchers, physicians, patients, and others concerned with this important issue, ASBMR is making the Abrahamsen article freely available through the JBMR web site. Click here to view the article, which is entitled “Subtrochanteric and Diaphyseal Femur Fractures in Patients Treated With Alendronate: A Register-Based National Cohort Study.”

For additional information on this issue, see the ASBMR press release on Bisphosphonate Therapy and Atypical Fractures and the FDA’s Drug Safety Communication.