Ibandronate: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Ibandronate is a bisphosphonate sold in the U.S. under 2 brand and generic names, for postmenopausal osteoporosis. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Bisphosphonate
- Treats (across its forms)
- Postmenopausal Osteoporosis
- Available as
- Tablet · Injectable · Solution
- Sold as
- 2 products — Boniva and Ibandronate Sodium
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
- What the pharmacy pays
- about $3 per ml — not your price
How ibandronate is dosed
From the FDA label for Ibandronate Sodium (application ANDA090853). Other ibandronate products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
3 mg every 3 months administered intravenously over a period of 15 to 30 seconds ( 2.2 ) Dosing Instructions: Only administer intravenously by a health care professional. ( 2.1 ) Do not mix with calcium-containing solutions or other intravenously administered drugs. ( 2.1 ) Do not administer more frequently than once every 3 months. ( 2.2 ) Instruct patients to take supplemental calcium and vitamin D if dietary intake is inadequate 2.1 Important Administration Instructions Ibandronate sodium injection must be administered intravenously only by a health care professional. Care must be taken not to administer intra-arterially or paravenously as this could lead to tissue damage [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.4 )] . Appropriate medical support and monitoring measures should be readily available when ibandronate sodium injection is administered. If anaphylactic or other severe hypersensitivity/allergic reactions occur, immediately discontinue the injection and initiate appropriate treatment [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 )]. Visually inspect the liquid in the vial for particulate matter and discoloration before administration. Do not use vials with particulate matter or discoloration. Discard any unused portion. Do not mix with calcium-containing solutions or other intravenously administered drugs. Vials are for single use only. 2.2 Dosage Information The recommended dose…
Ibandronate side effects
The following clinically significant adverse drug reactions are described elsewhere in the labeling: Hypocalcemia and Mineral Metabolism [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 ) ] Anaphylactic Reaction [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 )] Renal Impairment [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.3 )] Tissue Damage Related to Inappropriate Drug Administration [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.4 )] Osteonecrosis of the Jaw [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.5 )] Musculoskeletal [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.6 )] Atypical Fractures Including Femoral Fractures [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.7 )] The most frequently reported adverse reactions (>5%) are arthralgia, back pain, and abdominal pain. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc. at 1-800-818-4555 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. Quarterly Intravenous Injection – In a 1-year, double-blind, multicenter study comparing ibandronate sodium injection administered intravenously as 3 mg every 3 months to ibandronate sodium tablets 2.5 mg (ibandronate) daily oral tablet in women…
Who shouldn’t take ibandronate
Ibandronate sodium injection is contraindicated in patients with the following conditions: Hypocalcemia [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )] Known hypersensitivity to ibandronate sodium injection or to any of its excipients. Cases of anaphylaxis, including fatal events, have been reported. [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 ), Adverse Reactions ( 6.2 )] Hypocalcemia ( 4 ) Hypersensitivity to ibandronate sodium injection ( 4 )
Ibandronate drug interactions
7.1 Melphalan/Prednisolone Intravenous ibandronate (6 mg) did not interact with intravenous melphalan (10 mg/m 2 ) or oral prednisolone (60 mg/m 2 ). [See Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )] 7.2 Tamoxifen There was no interaction between oral 30 mg tamoxifen and intravenous 2 mg ibandronate. [See Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )] 7.3 Bone Imaging Agents Bisphosphonates are known to interfere with the use of bone-imaging agents. Specific studies with ibandronate sodium injection have not been performed.
Every ibandronate product we track (2)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
| # | Drug | Rating | Type | Form | Generic? | Pharmacy pays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Tablet | Generic | $3 | View → | |
| 2 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Injectable | Generic | $3 | View → |
What ibandronate pills look like
Imprint codes, colour and shape from the FDA’s labelling data. Match the imprint on your pill — or search any imprint.
| Imprint | Strength | Colour | Shape | Maker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R575 | 150 mg | white | capsule | — |
| X;78 | 150 mg | white | capsule | — |
| APO;IBA150 | 150 mg | white | oval | — |
Can you crush or split ibandronate?
At least one ibandronateproduct is labelled to be swallowed whole — crushing an extended-release tablet releases the whole day’s dose at once. Which applies depends on the form you were given.
What each ibandronate label says about crushing, splitting and chewingIbandronate and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for ibandronate: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadIbandronate is poorly absorbed orally (average in adults 6% on an empty stomach, negligible with food), so absorption of ibandronate by a breastfed infant is unlikely. However, since no information is available on the use of ibandronate during breastfeeding, an alternate drug may be preferred, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised April 19, 2021. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about ibandronate
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 3,595 reports naming ibandronate, and the FDA flagged 62% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- arthralgia327 reports
- diarrhoea287 reports
- nausea273 reports
- femur fracture260 reports
- headache258 reports
- fatigue228 reports
- fall204 reports
- pain in extremity199 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean ibandronate caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved August 25, 2026.
Related guides
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Frequently asked questions
What is ibandronate?
Ibandronate sodium is a nitrogen-containing bisphosphonate that inhibits osteoclast-mediated bone resorption.
What kind of drug is ibandronate?
The FDA classifies ibandronate as a bisphosphonate. Bisphosphonates stick to the mineral surface of bone, especially where it is being broken down. When the bone-dissolving cells (osteoclasts) take the drug up, it disables or kills them, slowing bone loss and helping keep bones denser and stronger. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.
Can you take ibandronate with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run ibandronate against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What brand names is ibandronate sold under?
We track 2 ibandronate-containing products in the U.S.: Boniva and Ibandronate Sodium. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does ibandronate come in?
Across the brands we track, ibandronate is currently marketed as tablet, injectable and solution, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic ibandronate?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic ibandronate product alongside the brand versions. A generic has the same active ingredient and must meet the FDA's bioequivalence standard; it usually costs less. Ask your pharmacist which one your plan covers.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Ibandronate: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/ibandronate
- MLA
- “Ibandronate: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/ibandronate.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for ibandronate on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.