Prescription medication · Bisphosphonate
ibandronate
Also sold as Boniva. Ibandronate is used to treat and prevent osteoporosis in women after menopause.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 2,935
- FDA reportsLightly reported
- 2
- InteractionsFew interactions
- $52.88
- Generic price (NADAC)
What the data shows
ibandronate (Boniva) is a prescription Bisphosphonate, among the least-reported drugs the FDA tracks (2,935 FDA reports), with 2 documented drug interactions.
Reporting volume reflects how widely a drug is used and studied, not how dangerous it is, a FAERS report documents a temporal association, never proof of cause.
ibandronate (Boniva) is a prescription Bisphosphonate. Ibandronate is used to treat and prevent osteoporosis in women after menopause.
Ibandronate (Boniva) is a medicine that helps treat and prevent bone loss in women after menopause. It makes bones stronger and less likely to break.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
Drug Pricing (NADAC)
Generic Price
$52.88/unit
Generic Available
Yes (9 manufacturers)
Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →
What it does
Ibandronate is used to treat and prevent osteoporosis in women after menopause.
Common side effects
Back pain, Upset stomach, Pain in arms or legs
Key warnings
This medicine can cause problems with your esophagus.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from ibandronate's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
Ibandronate belongs to a class of drugs called bisphosphonates. It works by slowing down the breakdown of bone. This helps to increase bone density and reduce the risk of fractures.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 2,935 FDA adverse event reports.
Most-reported reactions
Adverse reactions in FAERS for ibandronate, by number of reports
- Arthralgia
Arthralgia
243 reports
- Diarrhoea
Diarrhoea
230 reports
- Nausea
Nausea
219 reports
- Femur Fracture
Femur Fracture
216 reports
- Headache
Headache
198 reports
- Fatigue
Fatigue
190 reports
- Fall
Fall
165 reports
- Dizziness
Dizziness
163 reports
- Pain
Pain
161 reports
- Asthenia
Asthenia
154 reports
What this shows Bars show how often each reaction was reported, not how likely it is to happen, a report records a temporal association, never proof that the drug caused it.
Reports over time
Adverse-event reports filed for ibandronate each year to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
Year-to-year volume tracks usage, prescribing, and scrutiny, not a change in per-patient risk. Source: FDA FAERS.
Where ibandronate sits
ibandronate has more FDA adverse-event reports than 18% of the drugs FAERS tracks. A high position reflects how widely a drug is used and watched, not how dangerous it is.
Percentile across all drugs PlainMeds tracks by FAERS report volume. The dot is ibandronate; the line is the median (50th percentile).
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 2,935 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2004–2025.
Total Reports
2,935
Reports Mentioning Death
274
9.3% of reports — not proof of cause
Hospitalization Reports
655
Top Indication
Product Used For Unknown Indication
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ARTHRALGIA | 243 |
| 2 | DIARRHOEA | 230 |
| 3 | NAUSEA | 219 |
| 4 | FEMUR FRACTURE | 216 |
| 5 | HEADACHE | 198 |
| 6 | FATIGUE | 190 |
| 7 | FALL | 165 |
| 8 | DIZZINESS | 163 |
| 9 | PAIN | 161 |
| 10 | ASTHENIA | 154 |
| 12 | MYALGIA | 140 |
| 13 | PAIN IN EXTREMITY | 139 |
| 14 | VOMITING | 138 |
| 15 | BACK PAIN | 132 |
| 16 | DYSPNOEA | 132 |
Reactions in Death Reports
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Source: FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) Reports are voluntary and do not establish causation
Serious Warnings
This medicine can cause problems with your esophagus. To help prevent this, follow the directions carefully and stay upright for at least 60 minutes after taking it. Rarely, serious bone, joint, or muscle pain can occur. Tell your doctor if you have new pain in your thigh or groin. Osteonecrosis of the jaw (bone damage in the jaw) has been reported.
Known Drug Interactions
Do not take within 60 minutes of dosing ( 7.1 ) Use caution when co-prescribing aspirin/nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that may worsen gastrointestinal irritation. 7.2 Aspirin/Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) Because aspirin, NSAIDs, and bisphosphonates are all associated with gastrointestinal irritation, caution should be exercised in the concomitant use of aspirin or NSAIDs with ibandronate sodium tablets.
Mechanism: Both of these medicines can irritate your stomach and throat, which increases the chance of developing sores or pain.
7.3 H2 Blockers In healthy volunteers, co-administration with ranitidine resulted in a 20% increased bioavailability of ibandronate, which was not considered to be clinically relevant (see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY [12.3] ) . 7.3 H2 Blockers In healthy volunteers, co-administration with ranitidine resulted in a 20% increased bioavailability of ibandronate, which was not considered to be clinically relevant (see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY [12.3] ) .
Mechanism: Ranitidine increases the amount of ibandronate that is absorbed into your body.
This is a plain-language summary of FDA-label interaction records and does not provide individual medication-combination directions.
Common Questions
Can I take ibandronate with food?
What should I do if I have heartburn after taking ibandronate?
Can I take calcium supplements with ibandronate?
What if I can't stand or sit upright for 60 minutes?
Does ibandronate interact with other medications?
How long should I take ibandronate?
What are the symptoms of osteonecrosis of the jaw?
What should I do if I experience severe bone, joint, or muscle pain?
Can ibandronate cause kidney problems?
What if I have trouble swallowing the tablet?
What are the common side effects of ibandronate?
Does ibandronate interact with other medications?
What drug class is ibandronate?
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for ibandronate?
Related Medications in Bisphosphonate
Other drugs grouped near ibandronate - same-class peers and common alternatives.
abaloparatide
Tymlos
Tymlos is a medicine to treat osteoporosis.
Compare with ibandronate →
alendronate
Fosamax
Binosto is a medicine that helps make your bones stronger.
Compare with ibandronate →
calcitonin
Miacalcin, Fortical
Calcitonin is a medicine that helps manage calcium levels in your body.
Compare with ibandronate →
denosumab
Prolia, Xgeva
Stoboclo is a medicine that helps to treat osteoporosis and increase bone mass.
Compare with ibandronate →
risedronate
Actonel
Risedronate sodium delayed-release tablets help treat osteoporosis after menopause.
Compare with ibandronate →
Compare beyond drug class
Nationwide peers by FAERS volume & death-report share
Two PlainMeds-derived comparison paths for ibandronate: nearest FDA FAERS report volume and nearest death-report share among drugs with at least 1,000 logged reports, excluding same-class neighbors listed above. Counts reflect reporting volume, not proven individual harm.
Similar FAERS report volume
Nearest drugs by total FAERS reports. This record: 2,935.
Similar death-report share
Nearest drugs by FAERS death-report share. This record: 9.34%.
- ropinirole Δ 0.00 pts · 14,664 reports · Dopamine Agonist 9.34%death share
- famotidine Δ 0.01 pts · 110,018 reports · H2 Receptor Antagonist 9.35%death share
- baricitinib Δ 0.02 pts · 9,259 reports · JAK Inhibitor 9.35%death share
- gabapentin Δ 0.05 pts · 351,750 reports · Anticonvulsant / Nerve Pain Agent 9.38%death share
Medication Guides
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FDA bioequivalence and label-record context for narrow therapeutic index medicines
Common Drug Interactions
Dangerous medication combinations and how to protect yourself
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What the FDA Data Shows for ibandronate
The FDA label for ibandronate (sold under brand names such as Boniva) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Bisphosphonate class. Ibandronate is used to treat and prevent osteoporosis in women after menopause. Official labeling lists 6 commonly reported side effects, including Back pain, Upset stomach, Pain in arms or legs.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 2,935 voluntary reports. The database also lists 2 documented drug interactions derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated major severity. NADAC pricing from CMS shows a generic unit cost of $52.88.
Report counts do not establish causation, a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history, and patent information are separate source-record fields. This page is a public FDA/CMS registry and does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions.
Data Sources
Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Pricing: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC).
FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. This registry does not provide medication decisions.
Last updated: June 12, 2025
PlainMeds is rendered directly from FDA openFDA/FAERS extracts, DailyMed labels, and CMS drug-pricing files, no number is typed in by an editor. FAERS counts, recalls, shortages, and price figures on this page are queried live from those federal extracts. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-05-15. Primary sources: openFDA / FAERS, DailyMed and CMS Part B ASP.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled from the source snapshot dated . See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a data issue.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FDA Orange Book - approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence. accessdata.fda.gov/cder/ob
- FDA DailyMed - NIH-hosted drug labeling for FDA-approved meds. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
- FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) - post-marketing safety surveillance. fda.gov/drugs/faers
- NLM RxNorm - standardized clinical drug nomenclature. nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnorm
- CMS Medicare Part B Drug Average Sales Price Files - federal drug pricing data. cms.gov/medicare/part-b-drugs/asp
- FDA Drug Shortages Database - current and resolved drug shortage tracking. accessdata.fda.gov/drugshortages