Task force recommends bisphosphonate label update

A task force of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research said labeling for bisphosphonates should include a possible association with atypical femur fractures after reviewing data that suggested the risk of atypical femoral fractures increases with the duration of exposure to bisphosphonates for osteoporosis. Specifically, a review of 310 cases of atypical femur fractures showed that 94% of patients had taken bisphosphonates for more than five years, according to the task force's report on published and unpublished data. The task force also recommended the development of new diagnostic and procedural codes for atypical femur fractures to improve quality of case reporting and the creation of an international registry of patients experiencing atypical femur fractions to track cases and facilitate future research. The report was published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. ...