New Hope for Breast Cancer?

One of the biggest pieces of news regarding women's health this week is that a class of bone-building drugs used to prevent osteoporosis may also ward off breast cancer.

Merck & Co.'s Fosamax, Warner Chilcott's Actonel, and Roche Holding AG's Boniva are commonly used by post-menopausal women to prevent bone loss. The brand medicines belong to a class of drugs called bisphosphonates, which researchers say appear to have had some effect preventing invasive breast cancer in some women.

Fosamax sales once exceeded $3 billion a year but plunged in early 2008 after generic competitors entered the market. Sales of the drug in 2008 were $1.6 billion. Actonel, recently acquired from Procter & Gamble Co., has estimated annual sales of about $1 billion.

It's interesting that this same class of drugs also is skewered because of a side effect that allegedly caused some deaths. Fosamax and Actonel were alleged to cause an infection in the jawbone of some patients, causing disfigurement and death, according to lawsuits.

But, for this week, it's positive coverage. Breast cancer studies are gathering more attention than normal after a panel of government advisers said women under 50 don't need to get screenings for the disease. The firestorm of public protest shows how emotional anything surrounding breast cancer can be.

The study showed that over a seven-year period the women taking the drugs, mostly Fosamax, were almost one-third less likely to have invasive breast cancer. That's hardly anything you can take to the bank. At least a couple more years of study will be necessary to determine whether these drugs have real cancer-fighting potential.