subject: First Lawsuit Win Against Merck [print this page] After a four year fight with Merck & CoAfter a four year fight with Merck & Co. a Florida woman was awarded by a jury for $8 million with a claim that Fosamax damaged her jaw.The trail verdict represents a major milestone in litigation that numbers around 900 lawsuits pending against Merck by nearly 1,280 patient groups who claim Fosamax damaged their jawbone tissue.This Fosamax Lawsuit News cannot be missed by those with pending lawsuits.
In a recent study from the American Society of Bone & Mineral Research revealed that 94% of osteoporosis patients who suffered a rare femur fracture had been taking bisphosponate drugs like Fosamax.Many of the cases reported that the fractures happened when the patient was doing simple tasks like walking up a flight of stairs.The reports of people complaining about femur fracture who were also Fosamax users started as early as 2007.In that same year, a report published in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery profiled 13 women with low-trauma leg fractures, 9 who were long-term users of Fosamax.
Class action lawsuits concerning Fosamax have already popped up in Canada, and the recent lawsuit win against Merck could open the door to major class action lawsuits in the United States as well.Most of the patients filing against Merck are claiming that Fosamax, a prescription medication used to treat and prevent osteoporosis by increasing bone density and strength, has actually deteriorated their bones, causing a condition known as osteonecrosis of the jaw (or death of jawbone tissue) and contributing to femur fracturesMerck of course denies these claims and continues to claim that Fosamax is a safe and effective prescription medication.
The maker of Fosamax, Merck & Co., was contacted by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2008 concerning reports about femur fractures associated with Fosamax.However, it was not until October 2010 that the FDA announced it would require makers of bisphosphonates to add the risk of femur fracture to the Warnings and Precautions section of the drug labeling and provide patients with a medication guide warning of the risks.
Fosamax is a prescription drug that is taken in orally to treat menopausal osteoporosis. Recently however, Fosamax has been the subject of criticism is said to be includable in a pharmaceutical category called bisnosphonates.Drugs that are in this category have been connected to thigh fractures.Fosamax has also been connected to several other serious side effects.
