Below is an interesting story from USA Today under the byline of Kim Painter, published 7/2/2006, under the headline “Brittle truth of bone drugs.”
“Osteoporosis was once a little-known condition with few treatment options. Broken hips and hunched spines often were seen as inevitable signs of old age, especially for women.
“Not so today. Bone-saving drugs are big business, heavily marketed in ads that feature vibrant, youthful-looking women. But who, exactly, should be taking these medications?
“That’s a subject of debate among doctors, amid some evidence that the people who may benefit most — the oldest adults with the frailest bones and the highest immediate risks of debilitating fractures — are the least likely to get them. Meanwhile, some doctors worry that younger postmenopausal women at relatively low immediate risk are being treated aggressively with medications too new to have long-term safety and efficacy records.
"’Older patients are often ignored,’ says Michael McClung of the Oregon Osteoporosis Center in Portland. ‘They come into an emergency room with a wrist fracture or even a hip fracture and are usually not even considered as candidates for osteoporosis treatment.’
“Susan Bukata, an orthopedic surgeon in Rochester, N.Y., agrees. ‘Orthopedists are fixing the bones without asking why the bones broke in the first place.’
“Also, one study of 44,000 women ages 65 to 90 found that the oldest women were the least likely to get tests that use X-rays or sound waves to measure bone mineral density (BMD). Doctors rely on BMD scores — ideally combined with knowledge about a patient’s other risks for bone fracture — to determine who needs a bone drug.
“Fewer than 10% of women over age 75 in the study were tested over a two-year period, vs. 27% of women ages 65 to 70, says researcher Joan Neuner of the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.
"’I do worry that there is some sense that it’s too late for women in their 80s,’ she says. But it’s not, she says, because medication can work quickly to cut the risk of fractures.
“Without treatment, an 80-year-old woman is two to three times more likely to break a bone in the next 10 years than a 55-year-old woman with the same low BMD score, McClung says.
“Meanwhile, many 55- and 60-year-old women with borderline low-bone-density scores are being treated, hoping for a long-term payoff in fewer broken bones, says Ethel Siris, president of the Washington, D.C.-based National Osteoporosis Foundation. That hope is based on some reasonable assumptions, she says, but no definitive studies.
“Both younger and older women — and their doctors — should benefit from clearer, updated guidelines that will provide specific 10-year fracture risks based on a patient’s BMD, age and other risk factors. The foundation’s new guidelines will be based on standards under final review at the World Health Organization.
“But those guidelines, perhaps a year away, won’t answer all questions, including how long a patient should stay on the drugs and whether long-term use might actually impair bone quality or bring other hazards.
“Already, one red flag has been raised around the most popular class of bone drugs, known as bisphosonates. According to some reports, patients who take these medications — which include Fosamax, Actonel and Boniva — can develop a condition in which jawbones deteriorate. For now, it appears to be a ‘real but quite rare side effect,’ most often seen in cancer patients who take very high doses of the drugs, Siris says.”
Attorneys across the USA are wringing their hands at taking on cases against Fosamax, Actonel, and Boniva; its just a matter of time.
About The Author:
Attorney Edward A. ("Ted") Bills can be reached at 719.444.1000 or at http://www.SpringsAttorney.com.
Attorney Ted Bills has one mission – to fight for the rights of personal injury victims and those who have been devastated by the misconduct of others – he represents clients with an aggressive approach designed to provide SWIFT justice.
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