Common Diabetes Drugs Double Risk of Women's Fractures

Filed in archive Notable , Treatment on December 9, 2008

Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Daniel Loiselle

The popular oral diabetes drug class thiazolidinediones (TZDs), doubles the risk of fractures in women with type 2 diabetes. Such were the findings of Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the University of East Anglia, published online in the Canadian Medical Association Journal that will appear in the January 6 issue.

"We knew going into this study that there was an association between thiazolidinediones and fracture risk, however the magnitude of risk had not been evaluated," said Sonal Singh, M.D., M.P.H., an assistant professor of internal medicine and a co-researcher for the study. "This study shows that these agents double the risk of fractures in women with type 2 diabetes, who are already at higher risk before taking the therapy."

In absolute terms, Singh said, if thiazolidinediones (TZDs) are used by elderly, postmenopausal women (around 70 years) with type 2 diabetes for one year, one additional fracture would occur among every 21 women. Among younger women (around 56 years), use of the drugs for one year or longer would result in one additional fracture for every 55 women.

TZDs are oral diabetes drugs for lowering blood sugar. TZDs are available in the market as rosiglitazone (marketed as Avandia(TM) by GlaxoSmithKline) and pioglitazone (marketed as Actos(TM) by Takeda Pharmaceuticals).