Fosamax Lawsuits

In 2006, a class action lawsuit was filed against Merck by a 60-year-old woman from Florida who was using the bisphosphonate drug to treat her osteoporosis. The lawsuit alleges that Fosamax causes Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (ONJ), and that Merck concealed and continues to hide Fosamax's potentially dangerous side effects from patients and doctors. The class action suit charges that six years of Fosamax treatments caused the plaintiff to develop a severe case of ONJ, rotting her mouth and exposing bone in her jaw. Merck has been accused of withholding information regarding the serious nature of certain Fosamax side effects, notably the drug's propensity to cause the development of ONJ.

Since the initial class action lawsuit was filed, lawyers, on behalf of injured plaintiffs, have filed numerous Fosamax lawsuits against Merck for injuries caused by Fosamax’s serious adverse side effects. Additionally, experts believe that this is only the beginning and expect hundreds, if not thousands, more lawsuits to be filed. This is not the first time Merck has faced a significant number of lawsuits over a drug it manufactures. In fact, Merck’s bestselling painkiller, Vioxx, has been the subject of more than 9,000 lawsuits. In 2007, Merck agreed to pay $4.85 billion to settle 27,000 Vioxx related lawsuits. More recently, a lawsuit alleging that Merck used deceptive advertising practices in marketing Vioxx settled out of court for $58 million. Vioxx, which was recalled from the market in 2004, may have caused as many as 140,000 heart attacks between its 1999 introduction and the recall.

The majority of the existing Fosamax lawsuits have been filed by Fosamax patients suffering from ONJ, which is an excruciating condition in which the jaw bone dies and begins to decay. These lawsuits allege that Merck failed to warn the public about Fosamax’s potential serious side effects. In addition, these lawsuits allege that Fosamax does more harm than good and should be completely removed from the market.

If taking Fosamax caused you to develop ONJ or some other serious health problems, you have the legal right to file a lawsuit to seek compensation for your injuries. With a Fosamax lawsuit, patients injured by Fosamax may be able to recover compensation for medical expenses as well as lost income, pain and suffering, and possibly more. In order to protect your legal interests, you should seek advice from our experienced Fosamax attorneys who can evaluate your situation and inform you of your legal rights and options.