Fosamax News Archive

Protecting Bones from Drugs that Protect Bones
-CounterPunch.org
07/24/2008- Like gastro-esophageal reflux and bipolar disease, osteopenia began to inflict millions when a drug to treat it came on patent. More>>>

Drugs meant to fight breaks may weaken bones:
Injuries reported after long-term use of medication for osteoporosis
-Houston Chronicle
07/20/2008 • A 2001 study of beagles taking high doses of bisphosphonates found an accumulation of microscopic damage, though there was no evidence that their bones were weaker. More>>>

Report: Bone-building drugs might actually weaken them
-McKnights.com
07/17/2008-Researchers are questioning the effectiveness of bone-building drugs used to fight osteoporosis, saying they might weaken bones in a subset of patients. More>>>

Specialists play down risk of jaw condition
-Irish Times

07/08/2008 - Specialists in the Republic of Ireland have played down fears that a drug commonly used in the treatment of osteoporosis (thinning of the bone) can cause severe jaw problems. More>>>

Osteoporosis Drugs Found to Cause Severe Pain in Muscles, Joints and Bones
-NaturalNews
06/18/2008- The FDA has issued a new warning that a popular class of osteoporosis drugs may lead to severe, chronic and even permanent pain in muscles, joints and bones. More>>>

USC Study Links Jaw Infections to Osteoporosis Drugs
- Bell Gardens Sun
06/09/2008- A group of University of Southern California School of Dentistry researchers says it has identified the slimy culprits killing the jawbones of some people taking drugs that treat osteoporosis. More>>>

Another Fosamax Side Effect: Low Energy Femur Fractures
-NewsInferno.com
06/07/2008- Fosamax, a popular drug for treating osteoporosis, has been linked to a rare type of femur fracture. Though the study was small, it is just the latest research to link Fosamax to a disturbing side effect. More>>>

Broken bones & osteoporosis medication
-The Philadelphia Inquirer
05/31/2008- Patients admitted to nursing homes after breaking a bone are not usually put on medications to treat osteoporosis, a new study concludes. The study, led by Harvard Medical School researchers, looked at pharmaceutical claims data and Medicare data from 1995 to 2004 to analyze osteoporosis drug usage among patients admitted to a nursing home following a hip, wrist or shoulder fracture. More>>>

Do dental work before taking bone drugs
-Wausaudailyherald.com
05/27/2008- For many people, oral health and overall physical health seem to exist as two separate spheres. But it's important to realize that oral health and whole body health go hand-in-hand, and to be especially aware of the effects certain medications have on your dental well being. More>>>

Osteoporosis Drug Can Flutter the Heart
-Heartzine.com
05/05/2008- The osteoporosis drug Fosamax that is prescribed to women might increase their risk of developing an irregular heart beat, a study by researchers at the Group Health Centre for Health Studies and University of Washington suggests. Despite the findings, the researchers conclude that the benefits of the drug far outweigh the risks faced by women. More>>>

Fosamax “Dead Jaw Syndrome” Tied to Microbial Biofilms
-NewsInferno
05/04/2008- Microbial biofilms are behind a nasty side effect of osteoporosis drugs like Fosamax, new research says. These biofilms, a mix of bacteria and sticky extracellular material, are causing jaw tissue infections in patients taking bisphosphonate drugs like Fosamax, Actonel and Boniva, according to a study conducted at the USC School of Dentistry. Earlier this year, another group of researchers linked biofilms to eye infections that were caused by recalled Renu with MoistureLoc Contact Lens solution in 2006. More>>>

Fosamax Users At Increased Risk for Irregular Heart Rhythm
InjuryBoard.com
04/30/2008- A study has found that women who use the drug Fosamax are twice as likely to develop an irregular heartbeat condition known as atrial fibrillation as women who have never taken the drug. The 86% increased risk of atrial fibrillation was an unexpected finding.  More>>>

-Health News Digest
04/30/2008 - A group of University of Southern California School of Dentistry researchers says it has identified the slimy culprits killing the jawbones of some people taking drugs that treat osteoporosis. More>>>

Osteoporosis meds and bone collapse: weighing the risks

Globe and Mail
04/08/2008 - Osteonecrosis of the jaw, a disease in which a patient's jawbone rots and dies, has been associated with the use of bisphosphonates, a popular class of medication for the treatment of osteoporosis. More>>>

Fosamax Linked to Serious Abnormal Bone Fractures
Natural News.com
03/29/2008-On March 20, 2008, The New England Journal of Medicine published a physician group report of 15 women taking Fosamax who experienced "atypical low-energy fractures," which means their bones broke doing almost nothing – a serious kind of injury typically seen in very elderly individuals in declining health. The fact that the NEJM is reporting this is a major wake up call to anyone who hasn't figured out that Fosamax is dangerous to your health. More>>>

Another Bad Break For Merck?
-Pharmalot
03/20/2008 - Researchers report that long-term use of its Fosamax osteoporosis drug is associated with unusual fractures of the thigh bone, HealthDay writes. More>>>

Fosamax Linked to Unusual Femur Fractures
-HealthDay

03/19/2008 - In the latest research to cast a shadow on the safety of a popular bone-strengthening medication, researchers report that long-term use of Fosamax is associated with unusual fractures of the thigh bone. More>>>

Merck CEO got $14.5 million in 2007

-Forbes

03/10/2008 - Merck & Co.'s chief executive officer, Richard T. Clark, received compensation valued at $14.5 million in 2007, an 80 percent raise in a year when the drug maker took a $4.85 billion charge to settle much of the litigation over its former painkiller Vioxx. More>>>

FDA Posts MedWatch Side Effect Alert for Osteoporosis Drugs
-Naturalnews.com
02/21/2008 - The FDA recently issued a statement that bisphosphonate drugs used to treat osteoporosis may cause "severe and sometimes incapacitating bone, joint, and/or muscle pain". More>>>

Bisphosphonates and Osteonecrosis of the Jaw
-MIMS Ireland
02/20/2008 - Bisphosphonates are a class of medicinal substances approved for various indications related to their inhibitory effect on bone resorption in certain malignant and benign diseases, including osteoporosis. More>>>

There may be no bisphosphonates, ONJ link
-United Press International
02/18/2008 - A U.S. study of more than 7,000 patients found the use of bisphosphonates to treat osteoporosis has little effect on osteonecrosis of the jaw, or ONJ. More>>>

Trouble Brews Over Merck Product
-Wall Street Journal
1/30/2008 - Merck & Co.'s pending $4.85 billion Vioxx settlement is expected to bring more than three years of litigation to an end. But looming challenges to some top-selling products, including osteoporosis blockbuster Fosamax, threaten to keep the company under a cloud. More>>>

Suit Alleges More Health Problems From Merck's Fosamax Drug
-Wall Street Journal
1/28/2008 - A Connecticut woman has sued Merck & Co., claiming that its osteoporosis drug Fosamax caused multiple stress fractures and suppressed bone regeneration in her legs. JoAnn Moranski of Fairfield alleges in a complaint filed in New Jersey state court that she took the drug from 1996-2006. More>>>

Study cites rare risk in use of bone drug UBC research cites potential harm for post-menopausal women with osteoarthritis
-Vancouver Sun
01/16/2008 - Drugs used mainly to prevent bone fractures or treat osteoarthritis, often in postmenopausal women, may cause bone tissue to crumble and die in rare situations, according to a B.C.-led study. More>>>

Popular Osteoporosis Drugs Triple Risk Of Painful Bone Necrosis, Study Finds
-Science Daily
01/15/2008 - A University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute study has found that a popular class of osteoporosis drugs nearly triples the risk of developing bone necrosis, a condition that can lead to disfigurement and incapacitating pain. More>>>

Merck signs deal for Fosamax authorized generic
-Reuters
01/11/2008 - Merck & Co Inc said on Friday it had signed a deal for an authorized generic form of its blockbuster Fosamax osteoporosis drug, to become available after the U.S. patent on the world's top-selling osteoporosis drug lapses on February 6. More>>>

U.S. warns of severe pain with osteoporosis drugs
-Reuters
01/07/2008 - Patients treated with widely used osteoporosis drugs may develop severe and sometimes disabling pain in muscles, joints and bones, U.S. officials said on Monday in an alert highlighting the previously known risk. More>>>

Judge denies class in Fosamax cases against Merck
-Reuters
01/04/2008- A U.S. federal judge has denied motions to certify classes of users of osteoporosis drug Fosamax who wanted Merck & Co to set up a program to monitor them for an ailment involving jaw bone decay. More>>>

Although most cases of osteonecrosis of the jaw related to Fosamax side effects have occurred after dental work several cases have been reported to occur without any prior dental work. If you are currently taking Fosamax you may be at risk of developing osteonecrosis. If you have been injured by Fosamax side effects you may be entitled to compensation. For more information about your legal rights contact the Fosamax Attorneys of Ennis & Ennis, P.A. today.