A federal judge issued a ruling Thursday allowing GlaxoSmithKline and Roche to continue marketing the osteoporosis drug Boniva, shooting down an injunction filed by market rivals to halt the drug’s promotion. The ruling issued by US District Court Judge Paul Crotty denied a motion filed earlier in the year by Procter & Gamble and Sanofi-Aventis, marketers of the osteoporosis drug Actonel. Their lawsuit charged that professional and consumer ads for Boniva falsely claimed the drug was proven to be more effective than Actonel. Crotty wrote: “There is no doubt that Boniva is a safe and effective drug which the FDA has approved for the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis in women . . . nor is Actonel superior to Boniva.” Roche VP of commercial operations, Richard Hinson, said in a statement: “This preliminary ruling confirms what we’ve always known – our advertising is truthful and appropriately reflects the available information about Boniva.”