Merck & Co. faces multiple lawsuits

According to Consumer Drug Report, a drug information resource, pharmaceutical company Merck & Co. is currently facing multiple lawsuits. Two women claim to have suffered osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), or “dead jaw”, after taking Fosamax® and have filed lawsuits against Merck. Opening statements were heard on March 1, 2012.

According to Merck, the two women suffered from medical conditions that cause jaw injuries prior to taking Fosamax and maintain that Fosamax did not cause their injuries.

In addition to the claims brought forth by women who have suffered osteonecrosis after taking Fosamax, women have made claims that Fosamax causes atypical femur fractures. According to their complaints, spontaneous femur fractures would occur during normal activities such as walking or jogging.

There are two separate multidistrict litigation trials for Fosamax lawsuits. All femur fracture lawsuits are currently consolidated in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and all osteonecrosis lawsuits are consolidated in the U.S. District Court for the Southern Court for the Southern District of New York.

Merck introduced Fosamax in October of 1995 for the treatment of osteoporosis, a chronic bone condition that causes bones to become weak and fragile. Fosamax is included in a class of drugs known as bisphosphonates, which are bone strengthening medications.

In addition to Fosamax, Merck also manufactures a drug known as Vytorin® which helps lower the amount of cholesterol and involves a combination of Zocor® and Zetia®. Vytorin is a competing drug to Zocor and is much more expensive.

A shareholder lawsuit was filed against Merck claiming that Merck jointly marketed Vytorin, with the help of Schering-Plough Corp., as being more effective than Zocor and concealed the results of a study that showed otherwise. The lawsuit was settled and Merck agreed to pay $5.1 million to cover plaintiff fees.

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Victims continue to sue Merck for Fosamax® femur fractures

Consumer Drug Report recently reported a case filed by another victim of Fosamax femur fracture injuries. According to the drug risk information resource, a woman by the name of Reba Inez Patton and her husband Patrick Patton filed a claim alleging that bisphosphonate medication, Fosamax and Boniva®, caused her to suffer from a low-energy femur fracture in December 2010. The fracture is a rare form of bone injury which may occur with little or no trauma to the victim.

The Fosamax lawsuit was filed on December 15, 2011 against drug maker Merck & Co., maker of Fosamax, and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), maker of Boniva, in the Superior Court of New Jersey.

The complaint filed by the Patton’s alleges that both Merck and GSK falsely marketed the medications, which are designed to strengthen bones in women diagnosed with osteoporosis, claiming that the companies failed to provide sufficient warnings of the femur fracture risks.

Due to the femur fracture injuries, Mrs. Patton suffers severe and permanent damage requiring ongoing medical care.

Thousands of Fosamax femur fracture lawsuits have been filed against Merck & Co. all of which make similar allegations that the drug company failed to properly warn of the risks associated with long term use of Fosamax.

Fosamax was designed to treat osteoporosis, a chronic condition in which bones become brittle and break. The Food and Drug Administration approved Fosamax in October of 1995. Since its approval, over 20 million patients have taken the medication. The drug grew in popularity and prior to the release of a generic, Fosamax brought in revenues of $3 million.

All lawsuits filed against Merck have been consolidated as part of a multidistrict litigation and is centralized in the U.S. District court for the District of New Jersey.

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How Do I Find a Fosamax Injury Attorney?

Get more information at www.my-fosamax-lawsuit.com

If you have taken Fosamax or its generic form Alendronate and believe you have been injured as a result, you may want to contact the Fosamax Injury Attorneys at Spangenberg Shibley & Liber now for a free, confidential case evaluation. 

Whether you've been injured by Fosamax Atypical Femur Fractures, Fosamax Esophageal (Throat) Cancer, Fosamax Osteonecrosis of the Jaw ("ONJ" or "dead jaw"), or Fosamax Heart Conditions like atrial fibrillation, Fosamax injury attorneys may be able to help you determine if you have a Fosamax lawsuit.  This process is confidential.  (Be sure to read the disclaimer for this blog for other important information.)

Remember, there is likely a Fosamax statute of limitations clock running that will prevent you from filing a Fosamax femur fracture lawsuit if you wait too long.  A  Fosamax injury attorney can help you determine what the time frame is, and help protect your right to fair compensation.

You can always seek other attorneys as well, and should always exercise common sense and diligence in making this critical decision.

Have you or a loved one been injured by Fosamax, or suspect you have?  Please leave a comment below to discuss, and contact a Fosamax injury attorney directly for legal advice.

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How Does Fosamax Work?

Fosamax and other bisphosphonates work by interrupting the normal process of bone formation and degradation. Your body builds bone with one type of cell (osteoblasts), and takes bone away with another type of cell (osteoclasts). As people age, the re-absorption (or degradation) of the bones by osteoclasts can outpace the creation of bone by osteoblasts.  Severe bone loss is referred to as "osteoporosis."  That's what drugs like Fosamax were supposed to fight.

Fosamax (alendronate) stops the cells that take bone away, leading to an increase in total bone mass. But studies are showing that Fosamax patients’ bones are actually weaker, despite Fosamax making them denser. As ABC news reported, this can lead to devastating bone injuries like femoral fractures:

"We are seeing people just walking, walking down the steps, patients who are doing low-energy exercise,” said Dr. Kenneth Egol, professor of orthopedic surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center. “Very unusual, the femur is one of the strongest bones in the body."

Fosamax patients who have suffered these types of injuries are filing Fosamax femur fracture lawsuits.  Fosamax Injury Attorneys can help these people determine whether they have a valid Fosamax lawsuit or not.  If you or a loved one think you might have been injured by Fosamax, contact a Fosamax Injury Attorney for more information.

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