Fosamax Information
What is Fosamax?
Fosamax is Merck's osteoporosis management drug, generically known as alendronate, which is part of a class of drugs known as bisphosphonates. Fosamax is used to treat osteoporosis and bone pain caused by some cancers.
Medical studies have shown a possible link between using Fosamax and developing osteonecrosis of the jaw, or ONJ, which essentially is the destruction of bone tissue. Osteonecrosis of the jaw can be very painful and may lead to other complications such as infection, breakdown of the jawbone, ulcerations in the mouth, non-healing wounds, and osteomyelitis (inflammation of bone marrow).
Starting in the summer of 2008, Fosamax use has also been associated with atypical stress fractures, or insufficiency fractures, of the femur / thigh bone. While the medical articles about femur fractures in long-term users of Fosamax have been getting more attention recently, many prescribing and treating doctors have still not learned about this possible Fosamax side effect, yet. A March 8, 2010 ABC News report about Fosamax-related low stress femur fractures will likely make it a more well-known drug injury, now.
First Jury Verdict For Fosamax ONJ Plaintiff Comes In June 2010: Boles v. Merck
The case of Boles v. Merck & Co., one of the hundreds of Fosamax jaw injury lawsuits that are combined in the federal court MDL titled In Re Fosamax Products Liability Litigation (MDL 1789, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, Manhattan), concluded in late June 2010 with an $8 million verdict in favor of the plaintiff, Shirley Boles.
- Long-Term Use Of Fosamax May Cause Femur Fractures According To Research Presented At March 2010 Annual Meeting Of AAOS
- FDA is investigating possible link between bisphosphonate use and a risk of atypical subtrochanteric femur fractures. At the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), preliminary research was presented which shows that bisphosphonate drugs such as Fosamax may adversely affect bone quality and increase the risk of atypical fractures of the femur when used for four or more years.
- Femoral Stress Fractures Are Possible Fosamax Side Effect
- A preliminary study reported by Drs. Dean G. Lorich and Joseph M. Lane of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in the latest issue of the Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma says long-term use of Fosamax may suppress the ability of bones to heal in some patients. As a consequence, patients with routine stress fractures are unable to properly heal, and minor damage can worsen until a serious fracture occurs.
- What Fosamax Patients Should Know About Symptoms of Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (ONJ)
- There has been increased attention over the past couple of years given to the association between the use of oral bisphosphonates such as Fosamax and the serious side effect osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). It is understandable, therefore, that Fosamax patients want to know the early signs and symptoms of ONJ, which is sometimes referred to as jaw bone decay. Furthermore, the unfortunate patient diagnosed with this type of osteonecrosis should know how the extent of their condition determines the staging of ONJ upon diagnosis as well as their course of treatment thereafter.
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Theories on How Fosamax Causes Drug-Induced Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (ONJ)
- It is now generally accepted that there is an association between the use of Fosamax, an oral bisphosphonate, and osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), a serious side effect which also has been referred to as jaw rot or jawbone death. In 2006 there were two medical journal articles that provided new information about how Fosamax might cause osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) and, in connection with those causation theories, what are some of the predisposing, or risk, factors for ONJ as regards patients using Fosamax and other bisphosphonates.
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Merck Failed To Warn About Fosamax Adverse Side Effects In A Timely Manner
- For almost a year, Merck & Co. failed to warn doctors and patients about osteonecrosis of the jaw (rotting of the jaw bone), a serious side effect that has been associated with its osteoporosis drug Fosamax (alendronate).
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How and Why Fosamax Causes Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (ONJ)
- In an article entitled "Bisphosphonate-induced exposed bone of the jaws", Robert Marx, MD provides insight about why the jaw bone is susceptible to osteonecrosis, or "bone death." The serious jaw bone condition can develop years after a person stops taking Fosamax.
Serious Side Effects of Fosamax: Osteonecrosis and Jaw Bone Death - Because Fosamax and other bisphosphonates remain in the bone for an extended period, Dr. Salvatore Ruggiero speculates that their long-term use could negatively affect the delicate balance in the jaw which exists normally between those cells that put calcium in bone and those cells that take calcium away, and thereby cause osteonecrosis of the jaw. Some dentists and doctors have started to call this increasingly prevalent problem "bisphossy jaw".
Fosamax Class Actions
- We believe that people who suffered a serious injury Fosamax (alendronate) are better served when an individual lawsuit is filed on their behalf. A serious injury case should not be filed as part of any Fosamax class action together with the claims of many other people who may have had different injuries caused by this bisphosphonate drug.
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Fosamax and Legal Compensation
Statutes of limitations deadlines can mean no legal compensation for Fosamax side effects such as osteonecrosis or osteomyelitis leading to injury or death.
Free Fosamax Case Evaluation
The information you provide to us for this Free Case Evaluation will be treated as strictly confidential. You will get a reply from us no later than the next business day. Submitting a case evaluation does not obligate you to hire our law firm for your lawsuit. We handle all cases on a contingency fee basis, which means that you will make no payment for our legal services until after we have succeeded in getting legal compensation for you.
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