From Our 2011 Archives FDA: Osteoporosis Drug Reclast Ups Kidney
Failure Risk Agency Says Kidney Failure Is a Rare but Serious
Risk of Reclast By Matt McMillen Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD
The warning is targeted at patients who already suffer from
kidney impairment. It's also aimed at those who are taking
potentially kidney-damaging (nephrotoxic) medications or
diuretics at the same time as Reclast. According to the new
warning, Reclast-induced kidney failure can also occur among
severely dehydrated patients. Older patients with kidney
impairment are at heightened risk of kidney failure. The FDA
warning says that kidney failure is a rare but serious
complication for at-risk patients taking Reclast. The drug was
approved in April 2007. Two dozen cases of kidney impairment or
failure, including five deaths, were reported in a safety review
published in January 2009. That led the FDA to recommend
monitoring serum creatinine -- a measure of kidney health --
before each dose of the injected medication. By Apri