In a letter to the editor in the Washington Post, a reader writes that it’s a travesty to advertise certain drugs on TV especially Boniva and Fosamax based on the problems they present with jawbone death and unknown repercussions of long term use. (Washington Post)
Osteoporosis Drug Boniva Ad Spending Reaches $75 Million
November 1, 2006 06:29
Boniva, jointly marketed by GlaxoSmithKline and Roche, had a 2005 U.S. media spend of $70 million, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus. From January through July of this year, the companies spent $75 million in U.S. media. Earlier this year, Boniva was the subject of... (Read Article)
Let the drug wars begin and end. Earlier this year Proctor & Gamble sued Roche Laboratories claiming that their advertisements for the osteoporosis drug Boniva was false. Proctor & Gamble filed a lawsuit alleging that Boniva advertisements to consumers and doctors falsely claim the drug has been proven to reduce the risk of non spinal fractures. After four days of testimony, the U.S. District Court judge said the claim was unwarranted.
In its lawsuit, Proctor & Gamble said that Boniva failed a clinical trial to reduce non spinal fractures in women after three years of treatment, compared with those receiving placebos over the same period. (Reuters)
American Dental Association following a small but growing number of reports linking bisphosphonate drugs like Fosamax, Boniva, and Actonel to incidences of osteonecrosis of the jaw (dead bone tissue), believes that dentists should discuss ONJ risks with dental patients who are taking Fosamax, Boniva, and Actonel when performing tooth extraction or doing implants.
A failure to do so could constitute Dental Malpractice. Dentists and their patients should carefully consider these procedures and discuss alternative dental therapies.
In 2005, 24 million prescriptions for bone health were written for Boniva and Fosamax in the United States. But the side effects can be severe, and have caused many patients to drop the drugs. Ill effects include heartburn, ulcers, esophageal bleeding and osteonecrosis of the jaw (dead jaw). ONJ results in jaw bones that don’t heal, the inability to eat, perpetual bad breath, and constant pain that has no cure. (Pharma Licensing)