Combining international data on long-term osteoporosis medicine use and rare thigh-bone fractures
Pooling International Cohort Studies of Long-Term Bisphosphonate Use and Atypical Femur Fractures
This project combines patient data from large cohorts to clarify how long-term use of bisphosphonates and taking drug holidays affect the rare risk of atypical thigh-bone fractures for people treated for osteoporosis.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11383105 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
The team is pooling individual-level data from three large population-based cohorts that have X-ray‑verified atypical femur fractures. They will use detailed, harmonized medication records to measure how long people were on bisphosphonates and when they paused treatment (drug holidays). Centralized statistical analyses will estimate how treatment duration and pauses influence risk across different patient subgroups. The aim is to identify who is at higher or lower risk so doctors and patients can make clearer treatment and duration decisions.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with osteoporosis who are taking, have taken, or are considering bisphosphonate treatment—especially those with long-term medication records—are the most relevant group for this research.
Not a fit: People without osteoporosis, those never exposed to bisphosphonates, or patients whose care is not captured in the included cohorts are unlikely to directly benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help patients and clinicians balance fracture prevention with the small risk of atypical femur fractures and guide safer choices about starting, continuing, or pausing bisphosphonates.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies have linked long-term bisphosphonate use to atypical femur fractures but have been limited by small numbers, so pooling large cohorts is a logical next step to get more reliable estimates.
Where this research is happening
San Francisco, United States
- University of California, San Francisco — San Francisco, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bauer, Douglas C — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Bauer, Douglas C
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.