Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, Calif. believe that the diabetes drug, Avandia, may increase bone thinning, osteoporosis, which may explain why diabetics have an increased risk of fractures.
Research has found the possibility that long-term use of rosiglitazone, Avandia, could lead to osteoporosis. Avandia is used to improve the response to insulin treatment. Bones may seem solid but they are constantly being broken down and rebuilt by the body and researchers found that the drug increased the activity of the cells that break down bones in their study of mice.
Avandia recently had a label change indicating the risk of heart failure and GlaxoSmithKline has acknowledged that women were at higher risk of fractures when taking the drug.
The finding "has led to a better understanding of the challenges associated with long-term treatment of patients with Type II diabetes," said Ronald M. Evans, lead author of the report. "It also provides a basis for the development of a 'next generation' of drug that can specifically dial out this side effect and a new insight into a previously unrecognized aspect of bone physiology that has important medical consequences. The long-term use of rosiglitazone should be cautious in patients with higher risk of fractures such as older women." Using it in combination with anti-osteoporosis drugs could be beneficial, he said.
Previous assumptions were that the brittleness of diabetic's bones was the result of reduced bone building activity and not increased bone removal.
The study was funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the National Institutes of Health.
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