|
FDA expert warns of possible Fosamax cancer risk |
|
Wednesday, 04 March 2009 |
|
A drug expert with the Food and Drug Administration has warned doctors that prescribing Fosamax or other oral bisphosphonate drugs may increase the risk of esophageal cancer in some patients. Dr. Diane Wysowski warning about the side effects of Fosamax and similar drugs was published in a letter sent to the New England Journal of Medicine.
In the letter, Dr. Wysowski advised doctors to avoid prescribing Fosamax or other oral bisphosphonates to patients with Barrett’s esophagus, which can be a precursor of esophageal cancer. In order to limit the risk of damage to the esophagus that can lead to esophageal cancer, patients are advised to take Fosamax early in the morning on an empty stomach and to remain upright for at least a half hour afterward.
The FDA has received several reports of esophageal cancer among Fosamax users since the drug went on sale in 1995. In addition, the drug has also been linked to a painful condition known as osteonecrosis of the jaw, or jaw necrosis, which can cause the death and decay of jawbone tissue among some patients. |