Osteoporosis drugs may do more harm than good: study

New research reveals drugs used to help strengthen bones may actually make it more brittle.

The composition of bone changes when an individual takes biphosphonates for more than five years, the Daily Mail reported.

Older women were especially found to be at risk. The study examined 50 women aged 65 to 93 and found long-term use of the drug can make bones tougher.

These kinds of pills could potentially put millions of osteoporosis patients in harms way and likely to suffer from serious fractures

"It’s extremely good to prevent bone loss but the drugs will also slow this natural process - which allows turnover," study author Professor Eve Donnelly from Cornell University told the Daily Mail.

The study's findings could change the way the condition is treated.