Researchers have linked the drug - widely prescribed in the UK to stop bone-thinning in older women - to a condition known as atrial fibrillation. This is not necessarily serious, but can in some cases lead to a stroke. But the Archives of Internal Medicine study concluded for most women the drug's benefits outweighed the risks. It is not the first research to examine a link between Merck's Fosamax - whose generic name is alendronate - and atrial fibrillation, but its suggestion that the drug may increase the risk by 86% is higher than previous findings - although it is a smaller study.

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