Research funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and appearing in this month's online issue of Nature Medicine, has shed light on why women in one study who took Avandia (rosiglitazone) had decreased bone density. (See our post from earlier this year: Questions Surrounding Avandia and its Effect on Bone.)Bone is not the static organ many people think. It's constantly being reformed. Cells called osteoclasts break down bone while cells called osteoblasts lay down new bone.
These researchers found that mice given the PPAR-gamma agonist Avandia (Avandia is a thiazolidinedione, a class of insulin-sensitizing drugs under which Actos also falls) had increased activity of their osteoclasts, leading researchers to speculate:
"These findings have potential clinical implications, as they suggest that long-term rosiglitazone usage in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance may cause osteoporosis, owing to a combination of decreased bone formation and increased bone resorption."If more studies support this link, it may necessitate screening patients for osteoporosis before starting or continuing them on these drugs.
Nature Medicine abstract:
PPAR-gamma Regulates osteoclastogenesis in Mice
News summaries:
Diabetes Drug Link To Weak Bones
Diabetes Drug May Increase Bone Thinning
