Researchers Puzzled by Role of Osteoporosis Drug in Rare Thighbone Fractures

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/25/health/25bone.html?scp=1&sq=puzzled%20by%20role%20of%20osteoporosis%20drug&st=cse

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---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: barry levine <levinebar@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Mar 25, 2010 at 9:41 AM
Subject: re: Researchers Puzzled by Role of Osteoporosis Drug in Rare Thighbone Fractures
To: letters@nytimes.com


To the Editor:

   By the time the first bisphosphonate drug was approved for use in humans, it was clear that these were not like other drugs. Normal research and development requires determining how a drug compound is cleared from the body, whether it is degraded or excreted unchanged. The bisphosphonates never clear. Over the last two decades, millions of Americans have taken these drugs for osteoporosis. They will take them to their graves, whether they continue to take the drugs or not.  One hopes that the benefit of the drugs is greater than the risk, but that risk is still unknown.

Barry Levine