Mrs. Graves, a Manhattan woman, is currently having her civil trial against Merck heard in court. Her lawyer, Timothy M. O’Brien, is claiming that Fosamax had caused such debilitating jawbone deterioration that Mrs. Graves required five major operations, including a lengthy surgery to replace her broken jaw with bone from her left arm.
Merck states that their product Fosamax, is not the root cause of these problems as Mrs. Graves claims. Merck contends that Mrs. Graves took other prescriptions: like steroids to treat rheumatoid arthritis that weakened her immune system, leading to her jaw infection and healing problems, said Paul F. Strain, outside counsel for the company.
This Lawsuit is part of a handful of bellwether cases that have been filed against Merck, these bellwether cases represent about 1,400 people who are claiming that Fosamax is at the root of their bone ailments. Merck had won the court’s decision in an earlier case; but in another, a judge proposed to reduce a plaintiff’s jury award to $1.5 million from $8 million dollars, both sides plan to appeal the ruling.
In Mrs. Graves’s case, the trial is providing a palpable backdrop for a broadening debate among many doctors and researchers who are rethinking Fosamax and similar bone medications known as oral bisphosphonates, particularly as a treatment for women who have not yet developed osteoporosis.
An advisory issued last month by the Food and Drug Administration, which first approved Fosamax in the 1990s to treat and prevent osteoporosis, along with reports in medical journals linking bisphosphonates with some rare medical problems including unusual thigh fractures, has heightened criticism of the long-term use of these medications. The advisory states that all Bisphosphonate producers must proactively warn their consumers about the dangers and potential side effects of their drug by placing warning labels on their products. According to many, including Mrs. Graves, these warnings have come too late as they have already suffered an atypical bone fracture.
Your rights should be your main concern if you have been injured by the use of Fosamax. You can always seek free consultation from a Fosamax Lawyer for more information on you potential legal actions against Merck.
