Treatment of Low Bone Density or Osteoporosis to Prevent Fractures

TO THE EDITOR: We are writing to notify readers that several studies included in the American College of Physicians' 2008 and 2017 guidelines on the treatment of low bone density and osteoporosis (1, 2) have been retracted. Seven studies contributed to the 2008 guideline “Pharmacologic Treatment of Low Bone Density or Osteoporosis to Prevent Fractures: A Clinical Practice Guideline From the American College of Physicians” (1), which expired in 2013, and 6 studies were included in the 2017 guideline “Treatment of Low Bone Density or Osteoporosis to Prevent Fractures in Men and Women: A Clinical Practice Guideline Update From the American College of Physicians” (2). More information is available on the publishing journals' websites and the Retraction Watch database (https://retractionwatch.com/retraction-watch-database-userguide). We are uncertain of the effect of the retracted articles on our recommendations at this point. However, an update of the 2017 American College of Physicians guideline is currently under way and will exclude the retracted studies. The retracted studies cited in the 2008 guideline and their original reference numbers are as follows: LETTERS