Individuals throughout the United States have suffered spontaneous and unexplained femur fractures caused by side effect of Actonel, a popular osteoporosis drug.

The lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk are no longer investigating Actonel Lawsuits.  The information on this page is provided for information purposes only.

The product liability lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. were previously reviewing potential Actonel lawsuits as a result of the drug maker’s failure to adequately warn about the risk of these low-impact fractures, which can occur with little or no trauma at all after long-term use of Actonel or another bisphophonate medication, such as Fosamax.

Although Actonel is taken to reduce the risk of fractures associated with osteoporosis, research has suggested that it may actually weaken the femur.

All lawsuits over Actonel were reviewed under a contingency fee agreement, which means that there were no fees or expenses unless a recovery was obtained.

ACTONEL FEMUR FRACTURE SIDE EFFECTS

Actonel (risedronate sodium) was approved in the United States in 1998 for the treatment of osteoporosis and Paget’s disease. While most users are given the drug for many years, recent studies and adverse event reports suggest that long-term use of the drug may increase the risk of low-energy bone fractures, most commonly involving the thigh bone or femur.

In 2008, researchers published a study in the May/June issue of the Journal of Orthopedic Trauma, indicating that a specific type of femur fracture was 98% specific to users of bisphosphonates, the family of drugs that includes Fosamax, Actonel and other widely used medications. The study investigated 70 low-energy femur fractures that were caused by falls from standing height or less. The researchers found fractures that were almost exclusively in women who had taken the drugs over a long period of time.

New cases are no longer being accepted by Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. This page is maintained for informational purposes only.

In recent years, a number of studies have found that Actonel femur fracture risk increases the longer someone takes the drug. Officials with the FDA have raised questions about whether there are any benefits provided by taking bisphosphonates for longer than five years.

While Actonel is prescribed to treat osteoporosis and reduce the risk of bone fractures, side effects of Actonel reduce bone turnover, which could make some users more vulnerable to atypical femur fractures.

Users have reported suffering complete fractures of the femur or thigh bone after using Actonel, typically occurring while engaging in normal daily activities, such as taking a step, or after falling from a standing height or less, which would not normally cause a femur fracture.

In October 2010, the FDA required the manufacturers of Actonel and other oral bisphophonates to provide additional warnings about the risk of these femur fractures, stressing that users should seek immediate medical attention if they experience thigh or groin pain, which may occur before a complete fracture develops.

In addition, due to aggressive promotion, many users were kept on Actonel for years, when they may have received the same benefits if the medication were discontinued after three to five years, which could have reduced the risk of atypical femur fractures.

ACTONEL FEMUR FRACTURE LAWYERS

The Actonel lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. are no longer reviewing potential lawsuits for individuals who have suffered a sudden femur fracture. This page is maintained for informational purposes only.