Fosamax Side Effects Took Years to Be Made Public
By John Curran
The FDA has been investigating links between anti-osteoporosis drugs and Fosamax side effects like jaw osteonecrosis (ONJ) for years. Unfortunately, they have been delayed in actually applying warnings to packages of the drug. The history is troubling.
Fosamax jaw osteonecrosis side effects had been known for years, yet it took nine years from when the drug was approved in 1995 to when the FDA forced Merck & Co. to add a warning about Fosamax ONJ. It is one that can lead to permanent bone damage and in some cases be nearly inoperable.
Similar issues come up with the Fosamax femur fracture side effects label the FDA required in 2010. Studies from when the drug was approved in 1995 indicated there were problems with all bisphosphonates in terms of leg fractures, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Further studies continued on a continuous basis up to and through the 2010 warning of Fosamax femur fractures. In spite of this, it took 15 years for the FDA to act, and Merck is continuing to deny the link between the drug and broken femurs.
In both of these cases Fosamax side effects can have lasting consequences. A study published in Oral Diseases in 2005 noted that only 25 percent of all patients with jaw osteonecrosis had a full recovery from the disorder in spite of antibiotics and surgeries. In the case of Fosamax femur fracture side effects, since the drug is used to prevent osteoporosis, complications in older women can be extremely problematic.
As a result, there are hundreds of Fosamax injury lawsuits that have been filed against Merck & Co. and there are likely to be more coming down the line. It is odd to consider that taking a drug designed to improve bone density could lead to fractures and dying marrow in the jaw, but Fosamax jaw osteonecrosis side effects have been linked to the drug by numerous studies.
People who were unaware of these risks should know that legal action is one way to pursue a remedy against Merck. A free consultation to establish one’s eligibility to file a claim is available at the Fosamax Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. It may not be possible to undo all of the damage caused by the drug, but any jury award or settlement could offset costly medical bills and pay for anything that could improve one’s quality of life following bone breakage or breakdown.
Updated December 20th, 2012
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