Fosamax for
Pre-Osteoporosis,
A Bad Idea

Spontaneous Femur Fracture Induced by Fosamax

Fosamax, Actonel, Osteoporosis and Toulouse Lautrec

Osteoporosis web page on jeffrey dach md Web site

Links and References

http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/2326
Actonel, Fosamax, other Osteoporosis Drugs Draw FDA Pain Warning  Date Published: Monday, January 7th, 2008

Actonel, Fosamax and other anti-osteoporosis drugs known as bisphosphonates have been linked to severe and sometimes incapacitating bone, joint, and muscle (musculoskeletal) pain, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) warned today.  Although severe musculoskeletal pain is included in the prescribing information for all bisphosphonates, the FDA said that the association between bisphosphonates and severe musculoskeletal pain may be overlooked by healthcare professionals, delaying diagnosis, prolonging pain and impairment, and necessitating the use of analgesics.

Bisphosphonate, sold under the brand names Actonel, Actonel+Ca, Aredia, Boniva, Didronel, Fosamax, Fosamax+D, Reclast, Skelid, and Zometa,  are commonly used in tablet form to prevent and treat osteoporosis in post-menopausal women.

According to today’s FDA warning, the severe musculoskeletal pain associated with bisphosphonates may occur within days, months, or years after starting a bisphosphonate.  Some patients have reported complete relief of symptoms after discontinuing the bisphosphonate, whereas others have reported slow or incomplete resolution.

Bisphosphonates have been linked to a variety of other safety problems.  In October, the FDA announced that it was reviewing the drugs after studies showed patients taking bisphosphonates ran a higher risk of irregular heartbeat. 

Research published in the May 7 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine found that bisphosphonates appeared to increase the risk of irregular heartbeats in some older women. Researchers conducting a review of a 1997 study of postmenopausal women on Fosamax found that there appeared to be 50 percent more risk of the serious heart rhythm irregularities in women who took the daily pill than among those who didn’t take it. About half of the 6,459 women took Fosamax, and 47 developed atrial fibrillation, compared to just 31 cases among the other women.

Fosamax has also been linked to Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (ONJ), also known as Dead Jaw Syndrome, a condition in which the bone tissue in the jaw fails to heal after minor trauma such as a tooth extraction, causing the bone to be exposed. The exposure can eventually lead to infection and fracture and may require long-term antibiotic therapy or surgery to remove the dying bone tissue. In 2005, the Fosamax label was updated to include warnings about ONJ.

http://www.theage.com.au/world/down-to-the-bone-20090807-ecwy.html
Down to the bone RAY MOYNIHAN August 8, 2009

http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/bellwether-fosomax-trial-starts-today/2009-08-10

Bellwether Fosamax trial starts today August 10, 2009 — 10:35am ET | By Tracy Staton. 

Merck faces some 900 lawsuits over claims that the drug causes a painful and irreversible decay of the jawbone. In this first case, Shirley Boles, 71, claims that Fosamax caused her osteonecrosis of the jaw--essentially, death of jawbone tissue--and that Merck knew about the risks as early as 1996.   

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aN.O.OLorMnc

Merck Faces First Trial of Claim That Fosamax Attacks Jawbone By Thom Weidlich and Margaret Cronin Fisk Bloomberg News

Aug. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Merck & Co., the drugmaker facing 900 lawsuits over claims that its osteoporosis drug Fosamax causes the death of jawbone tissue, goes to trial tomorrow in a case that may affect all the others. The trial in New York of the first case of the group, filed by Shirley Boles, 71, will be one of three so-called bellwether cases that may point the way to out-of-court settlements.

Merck faced about 900 Fosamax cases as of June 30, including suits with multiple patients, the company said in an Aug. 3 regulatory filing. Whitehouse Station, New Jersey-based Merck, which is buying rival Schering-Plough Corp., had a reserve of about $42 million for the litigation, including lawyers’ fees, it said. It hasn’t set aside any money to pay damages, it said.

There are as many as 1,200 plaintiffs in state and federal cases, Merck says. Timothy O’Brien, a lawyer representing about 400 plaintiffs, said the number is closer to 2,000.

Sales of Fosamax last year, when the drug first faced U.S. generic competition, fell by half to $1.55 billion from $3.05 billion in 2007. Sales fell 44 percent to $261.3 million in this year’s first quarter, Merck reported in April.

http://www.youhavealawyer.com/blog/2008/08/21/fosamax-lawsuits-pile-up/

1. Terejimenez Says: About one year and a half ago, I took Fosamax for 3 months during which I was severely sick and it was me who discovered that Fosamax was causing my pain in the joints, bones, face. I was in physical therapy , visited several doctors from several disciplines and no one could give me a diagnose . I am self employed and was unable to work for several weeks because I was seriously sick. After I decided to stop taking Fosamax I began to recover without any medicines and a week later I was the same I had been before, no pains, no sickness, no fever, no fatigue.

2. Diana Says: I took fosomax for three years and stopped when i finally realized that the pain in my muscels began after i started taking fosomax. Before fosomax I had no pain , I exercised at the gym almost every day and I felt great. I was 65 and the doctor put me on fosomax, after a few months I began to have a lot of pain, could hardly get out of bed because of pain, standing or sitting it did not make any difference. When I quit I could hardly walk any more because of the pain in my seat, lower back and legs. I am 71 and my muscels still react with pain if I exercise. I am very angry when I think about having taking fosomax when I felt so great and painless and now i still have times of pain mostly walking. I don’t walk like I should or exercise be cause it iritates my back, hips and leg muscles.

Fosamax Lawsuits Continue to Pile Up Against Merck  August 21st, 2008 by Austin Kirk

According to a report published last week by Lloyds Corporate Litigation Reporter, Merck & Co., Inc. faced approximately 655 Fosamax lawsuits involving over 1,000 plaintiff groups as of June 30, 2008. The lawsuits were filed on behalf of users who have suffered a disfiguring jaw condition, known as osteonecrosis of the jaw, and other side effects related to the oosteoporosis drug.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/rx/fosamax.html 
consumer complaints about Fosamax

http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/
ucm124165.htm
FDA Warning Letter on Fosamax


Jeffrey Dach MD
7450 Griffin Rd Suite 180/190
Davie, FL 33314
Phone: 954-792-4663
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