Two leading diabetes drugs, Avandia manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline PLC and Actos made by Takeda Pharmaceutical, are under closer scrutiny after a clinical study of more than 144,000 patients found the drugs cause bone fractures. The drugs, classified as TZDs, have already been linked to an increased risk of cardiac problems including heart failure. The new connection to bone fractures appears more problematic than the cardiac connection.
According to the Wall St. Journal, “I think the fracture issue, perhaps more than concerns about cardiovascular events, could impact how doctors use TZDs in the future,” said Steven Kahn, author of the first study that found fracture risk in late 2006 with Avandia.
Diabetes patients taking Avandia or Actos were found to be 43% more likely to experience a fracture than non-users of the drugs.
According to health officials, TZD drugs diminish bone density by diminishing osteoblast activity which is the body’s bone-building process.