Actonel Femur Fracture Information and Updates
Actonel (risedronate sodium) was approved by the FDA in March 1998 for the treatment of osteoporosis and Paget’s disease.
Long-term use of Actonel and other similar bisphosphonate medications have been linked to a risk of atypical femur fractures, which can occur with little or no trauma at all.
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As a result of the manufacturers failure to adequately warn about the risk of Actonel femur fractures, lawsuits are being reviewed by product liability lawyers for individuals who have experienced problems.
>>SUBMIT INFORMATION ABOUT AN ACTONEL LAWSUIT<<
Warnings About Actonel Bone Fracture Side Effects
- FDA Required Femur Fracture Warnings for Actonel (10/14/2010)
Concluding an FDA review launched in March 2010, new warnings about the risk of low-energy femur fractures from Actonel and other bisphosphonates. However, the new label indicated that it was still unclear how long is safe to take the medications. - FDA Panel Recommended Further Warnings to Reduce the Risk of Actonel Problems (9/12/2011)
Approximately two years after the FDA required femur fracture warnings be added to Actonel and other bisphosphonates, a panel of drug experts convened to review the risk associated with long-term use recommendd that the FDA require drug makers to provide more information about the risk and beneifts associated with the drugs. - FDA Recommends Limiting Actonel Use to 3-5 Years To Reduce the Risk of Fractures(6/28/2012)
According to updated information provided by the FDA in June 2012, a new consumers guide recommends that a 3 to 5 year period of use should be considered to help reduce the risk of femur fractures from Actonel, at least until more definitive data becomes available. Research suggests that users may continue to benefit from the medications after use is stopped, while reducing their risk of fractures and other injuries linked to long-term use.
Articles About Risk of Femur Fractures and Actonel
- Study Links Side Effects of Actonel and Femur Fractures (5/6/2011)
According to a May 2011 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers determined that women were 47.3 times more likely to suffer an atypical femur fracture on Actonel or another bisphosphonate drug (such as Fosamax), and the risk was increased the longer the women were on the medication. - Study Links Long-Term Actonel Use to Rare Thigh Bone Fractures (2/24/2011)
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that use of oral bisphosphonates like Actonel decrease the risk of fractures due to osteoporosis, but long-term use for more than 5 years significantly increases the risk of atypical thigh bone fractures, known as subtrochanteric diaphyseal femur fractures. - Actonel Fracture Risks Increase Over Time According to Study (5/23/2012)
According to a study published in May 2012 in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the risk of fractures from Actonel and other bisphosphonates increase over time, as the benefits provided by the drug’s use decrease. - After a Femur Fracture on Actonel, Study Suggests Medication Should be Stopped to Reduce the Risk of a Second Broken Bone (2/10/2012)
Research presented at a meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in February 2012 suggested that the risk of suffering a second femur fracture from Actonel may be significantly dropped if the medication is stopped after the first break.
Other Actonel Side Effects and Emerging Safety Concerns
▸ Actonel Esophageal Cancer Risk
- FDA Official Highlights Potential Risk of Esophageal Tumors from Bisphophonates (1/6/2009)
In a letter to the editor published in the New England Journal of Medicine in January 2009, an FDA official indicated that a number of cases involving individuals who developed esophageal tumors from Fosamax, another oral bisphophonate. - Study Confirms Risk of Throat Cancer from Actonel (9/7/2010)
A 2010 study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) found that side effects of Actonel may double the risk of throat cancer. - FDA Initiates Review of Esophageal Cancer from Actonel (7/22/2011)
In response to data that suggested use of Actonel and other bisphosphonates may increase the risk of cancer of the esophagus, FDA launched a review in July 2011 to examine the risk.
▸ Actonel Eye Problems
- Study Links Side Effects of Actonel to Eye Problems (4/3/2012)
People using Fosamax, Actonel and similar osteoporosis drugs for the first time could be at an increased risk of inflammatory eye diseases that may result in permanent vision loss, according to the findings of a 2012 study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ).
4 Comments
NirmalaNovember 15, 2023 at 12:20 pm
I live in Canada. I contact lawyer in Toronto Canada for law suits against Actonal. But fail. I had a both femur fracture in 2019 cause by Actonal. I was taking for 6 years. I wasn’t Knowledgeable that I can’t take it more then 3 years or Dr did not stop me either. Is there anything you can do about my case. Again I live in Canada. Thanks.
MarshaMarch 17, 2022 at 2:48 am
I had breast cancer in 1995. With all of the tests that started being done after I was told I had osteopenia and was told to take Actonel. The one that Sally Fields advertised on TV. I started having ringing of the ears. I had my jaw problems and also a hole in my esophagus. It causes me to choke if I don't eat slow and eat small amounts. Lots of stomach problems..The doctor said nothing, but when[Show More]I had breast cancer in 1995. With all of the tests that started being done after I was told I had osteopenia and was told to take Actonel. The one that Sally Fields advertised on TV. I started having ringing of the ears. I had my jaw problems and also a hole in my esophagus. It causes me to choke if I don't eat slow and eat small amounts. Lots of stomach problems..The doctor said nothing, but when the doctor left the nurse said to quit taking the pill. It has been a long time ago but wanted to tell people about this. I have to go through my papers to see if I can find the reports from the doctors. It could have even been Fosamax. I don't know what eye problems there are but I do have macular degeneration., this started when I was much older though.
JuneJune 12, 2015 at 4:06 am
i have a femur fracture. how do I join the lawsuit. Who do I contact
SariOctober 17, 2012 at 2:57 pm
My neighbour was on Actonel...I just got her to stop...She has been taking it for 7 years...After two years on Actonel she needed a knee replacement...But nobody told her that the Actonel caused the problem...Now she is scheduled to have a hip replacement surgery...I only just found out she was taking Actonel & researched if her severe pain was a side effect...She has been taking pain killers [Show More]My neighbour was on Actonel...I just got her to stop...She has been taking it for 7 years...After two years on Actonel she needed a knee replacement...But nobody told her that the Actonel caused the problem...Now she is scheduled to have a hip replacement surgery...I only just found out she was taking Actonel & researched if her severe pain was a side effect...She has been taking pain killers for so long that her memory is not great now...Two weeks after I got her to stop, she took another pill...She actually forgot everything that I told her about the Actonel causing her the problem...I finally got her to just throw out all the pills...None of her doctors told her about the side effects of the Actonel causing her problems...She has not been able to walk since February 2012...What is interesting is that she keeps getting stronger & stronger painkillers prescribed to her, which makes it unlikely that she will be able to understand a lawsuit or how she got this way...I wonder how many other Actonel sufferers can't sue because they are so drugged up on painkillers, & if this is a way that doctors avoid lawsuits? Unfortunately we are in Canada, in the province of Ontario, so I do not know if your lawyers can act here? If you can, please contact me...Lack of financial means is also a factor in my neighbour's life...It would certainly make a difference if someone gave her some money back for her torture...I won't hold my breath though...But I'd love to see her get something...It is really terrible...My husband has been walking her dog since February, that is how I came to find out about what she has been taking...It took me months to even suspect that her severe back, knee, hip pain, could be actually from an osteo drug...