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What are bisphosphonates?

Bisphosphonates are a class of drugs that drug companies claim promote bone regeneration. Bisphosphonates are commonly sold under various brand names including Fosamax®, Actonel®, Aredia® and Zometa®.

These drugs are manufactured by pharmaceutical companies such as Merck, Novartis, Proctor & Gamble and Sanofi-Aventis. Bisphosphonates are used to treat, among other things, osteoporosis, bone metastasis during cancer treatment, osteoarthritis and other conditions that feature bone fragility. Studies show that bisphosphonate treatment can cause severe side-effects including Osteonecrosis of the Jaw and low-trauma bone fractures.

 

Full post as published by New Jersey Law Blog on April 27, 2009 (boomark / email).