Alendronate vs Ibandronate: side effects in FDA adverse event reports
At a glance
| Alendronate | Ibandronate | |
|---|---|---|
| Drug class | – | – |
| Brand names | Alendronate Sodium | Ibandronate Sodium |
| FAERS reports | 100,301 | 3,077 |
| Serious | 78% | 64% |
| Death outcome | 11,882 | 295 |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
Signals both drugs share
| Reaction | Alendronate | Ibandronate | Label screen (A / B) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Femur fracture | 11,361 · PRR 120.9 | 219 · PRR 48.4 | Labeled adverse reaction / Labeled adverse reaction |
Labeled signals distinctive to Alendronate
- Duodenal ulcer perforation — n=4,964, PRR 446.5 Labeled (related wording)
- Peripheral venous disease — n=1,436, PRR 117.6 Labeled (related wording)
- Fracture delayed union — n=439, PRR 223.6 Labeled (related wording)
Labeled signals distinctive to Ibandronate
- Osteonecrosis of jaw — n=130, PRR 35.7 Labeled (related wording)
- Eye pain — n=89, PRR 11.0 Labeled (related wording)
- Generalised oedema — n=69, PRR 38.4 Labeled (related wording)
- Bone pain — n=64, PRR 7.4 Labeled (related wording)
- Osteonecrosis — n=46, PRR 9.5 Labeled adverse reaction
- Pain in jaw — n=31, PRR 7.5 Labeled (related wording)
- Tooth extraction — n=12, PRR 6.6 Labeled adverse reaction
Common questions
Which has more reported side effects, Alendronate or Ibandronate?
Alendronate has 100,301 FAERS reports and Ibandronate 3,077. More reports does not mean more dangerous: volume follows how widely and how long a drug has been used, prescription vs over-the-counter status, and publicity. The seriousness share (78% vs 64%) is a better like-for-like signal of the kind of problems reported.
Which side effects do Alendronate and Ibandronate share?
Both drugs carry disproportionality signals for femur fracture. Shared signals often reflect a shared drug class or the condition both are used for.
Is Alendronate or Ibandronate safer?
FAERS cannot answer that: it has no denominator and no comparator. Use this page to see which risks are already on each label and which signals are unlabeled, then check the prescribing information and your clinician for your situation.
Sources: openFDA FAERS pair statistics (OpenPV build 2026-09-14), FDA labels via openFDA, openFDA count queries for seriousness and deaths. Pair chosen because it is a commonly searched comparison. Generated 2026-10-08.