This just in from Dr. Whitaker’s Health & Healing Newsletter:
June 2000 Vol. 10, No. 6
The Fosamax Fraud
Fosamax (alendronate), the leading drug for osteoporosis, generated $775 million in sales in 1998. But other than the drug’s manufacturer, Merck & Company, who is benefiting from this popular drug? If you think it’s the millions of women taking it to prevent or treat osteoporosis, think again.
Do the Math on Drug Claims
Merck claims that, based on a three-year study of 2,027 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, Fosamax reduced the risk of hip fracture by about 50 percent. In this study, there were 22 hip fractures in the women who took a placebo and only 11 in the Fosamax group. But what does this really mean?
During this three-year period, 2.2 out of 100 women taking the placebo had a fracture, compared to 1.1 per 100 of those taking Fosamax. Based on these statistics, 90 women would have to be treated for three years with Fosamax to prevent one hi fracture. The remaining 89 would receive no benefit!
From an economical standpoint it makes even less sense. The cost of treating 90 women with Fosamax for three years to prevent a single hip fracture would be $259,000, compared to an estimated $60,000 to treat a hip fracture. Shelling out a quarter-million dollars for a drug that statistically benefits only one in 90 women makes sense for no one but Merck & Company.
Side Effects Outweigh Benefits
The side effects of Fosamax are not inconsequential. In a 1998 survey of 812 women who had prescriptions for Fosamax, 12.3 percent – one in eight – required medical treatment for esophageal ulceration and other problems caused by the drug, and 14 percent required hospitalization. This is a 160 percent increased risk of gastrointestinal problems requiring medical attention! Why would anyone swallow this pill on a daily basis when the benefits are so meager and the side effects so major?
I am not saying that osteoporosis is not a serious concern. Some 300,000 Americans sustain a hip fracture every year. Between one-third and one-fourth of them die within one year, and many, many more require long-term care. However, there are steps you can take to reduce your risk of osteoporosis that will strengthen your bones, your muscles, your heart indeed, your whole body -with none of the side effects of Fosamax. Read on.
Absolutely the best and most complete nutritional formula on the market today is OSTEO-B-PLUS from Biotics Research Corp. here in Houston, Texas. Dosage is 2 to 3 tablets twice daily. We use this not only for osteoporosis but also bone healing, fractures, etc.
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