Some Drugs May Actually Exacerbate Conditions

The New York Times(10/17, A18, Kolata) reported, "In the past month, the Food and Drug Administration has concluded that in some cases, two types of drugs that were supposed to be preventing serious medical problems were, in fact, causing them." Notably, "one is bisphosphonates, which is widely used to prevent the fractures, especially of the hip and spine, that are common in people with osteoporosis," and "those drugs, like Fosamax [alendronate], Actonel [risedronate sodium] and Boniva [ibandronate sodium], will now have to carry labels saying they can lead to rare fractures of the thigh bone, a surprising new discovery that came after another surprise -- that they can cause a rare degeneration of the jawbone." In addition, "the FDA and drug regulators in Europe are restricting Avandia's [rosiglitazone] use because it appears to increase heart risks."