Fosamax Can Be Dangerous: JAMA Study Reveals

The makers of Fosamax, Merck & Co., is finding itself facing numerous claims against it stemming from the osteoporosis drug's side effects. The main complaint against the drug was that Fosamax causes osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), a condition wherein a part or parts of a person's jaw bones die due to limited or no blow flow to the jaw. A Fosamax fracture lawsuit may be charged against the pharmaceutical company for these claims.

A study conducted in 2006 was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) stating that there is no direct link between Fosamax and femur fractures. However, it was later found out that the study was influenced by Merck as the company funded the article and had a hand in editing it.

An article in JAMA came out in February 2011, tells of a study conducted to see the connection between biphosphonate drugs, Fosamax being one of them, and bone issues. In the study, which was conducted in Ontario, Canada, from a group of 200,000 female long-term biphosphonate users, 716 of them were discovered to suffer from a Fosamax fracture. The authors then concluded that users are three times more likely to experience bone problems over five years. Merck quickly dismissed the article saying it, “does not believe that the JAMA publication establishes that those patients who take a bisphosphonate for any particular duration are at greater risk” for an atypical fracture.

Claiming it increases a person's bone mass, Fosamax was marketed by Merck as a “bone builder.” But the truth of the matter is that the drug can only harden the bone and when this happens, the bone gets brittle making it conducive for fractures. What's worse, the side effects these drugs cause are permanent. Even though physicians are finding more ways to treat osteoporosis, it cannnot be denied that the damage has already been done. Injuries from Fosamax should be compensated for by Merck. Many anticipate that thousands of lawsuits will be filed against the company in the future since there are many individuals who use Fosamax. For more information about the osteoporosis drug, find out more in the Fosamax fracture lawsuit site.