Fosamax

Plaintiffs' Personal Injury Law Firm

Fosamax, manufactured by Merck, was introduced to the market in 1995 and is prescribed to treat osteoporosis and Paget's disease. Fosamax is a bisphosphonate, which is commonly used in treatment of osteoporosis in women pre menopause. In some instances higher doses of bisphosphonate are used in the treatment of advanced stages of cancer. However, what manufacturers did not know was that this form of the drug can cause severe musculoskeletal pain as well as jaw injuries.

The first instances of speculation came from The Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, as they released a study showing there were prevalent implications of dead jaw that had been seen from the use of bisphosphonate drugs. This then prompted the FDA to severely review the affects of different types of bisphosphonate drugs. In 2005, the FDA gave a warning to Merck that bisphosphonate drugs have an increased chance of causing Osteonecrosis of the jaw and severe muscle pain. Merck knew that their drug Fosamax was indeed a bisphosphonate drug, and thus put a warning label on their product that side effects included the jawbone tissue disease.

The fact of the matter is that the FDA gave the warning to Merck in February of 2005, and Merck did not put labels on their Fosamax products until July of that year. Many patients thus took Fosamax but were unaware of the severity of the possible symptoms associated with taking the drug. If you or a loved one has taken Fosamax and have suffered severe pain in your muscles, joints, and bones or even suffered from dead jaw, contact super lawyers at Napoli Bern Ripka, LLP today.

Personal Injury

Medical Malpractice