Why do commmercials...?

Question

for medicine treating post-menopausal osteoporosis say you shouldn't take it if you are pregnant or may become pregnant lol

Answer 1

You don't have to be post menopausal to have osteo. I knew someone who had the potential for osteo in her early 20's because she had been anorexic and severely malnourished as a teen. While the drug may have only been tested on post menopausal women, physicians sometimes prescribe drugs for other purposes than the ones they have been approved for.

Anyway, we don't know what most drugs will do in pregnancy, because it would be very unethical to test them on pregnant women. So the FDA considers nearly every drug a potential risk for pregnancy.

Let me try to explain better, with an example. Botox was originally approved for use with certain muscle conditions, such as eye muscles that would not relax and made it difficult to see. It was only approved for that purpose, but doctors started using it to treat forehead wrinkles. This use was so popular that they did studies to approve it being used that way.

So with your osteoporosis medicine, they did studies to approve its use for post menopausal women and that is how they are allowed to market it. Maybe some doctors will try it on young women with osteoporosis due to malnutrition, or on people with some kind of congenital bone disorder. Maybe they think it can do more than just repair bones, and they might try it on other conditions, with women of child bearing age. This is why there is a pregnancy warning.

Answer 2

That's lawyers for you!  The drug companies are just practicing CYA.

On a similar note, I saw a document that a woman having a hysterectomy had to sign, saying that she was aware that she could no longer bear children after the procedure.  She was in her 80's.  We had a good laugh about that.

Answer 3

Many medications, perhaps most, are considered likely teratogens or unknowns vis a vis the foetal well-being and should not be used by a gravid female unless offered specific advice to do so by an OB/GYN.

Many of the bisphophonates, for example are deemed Cat. C.

Regrettably, many patients are unaware of whether they're pre- or postmenopausal and therefore such caveats are presented.

Answer 4

Because the lawyers who write the boilerplate haven't got as good a sense of humor as you?  

;-)