Fosamax

Marketed alone as Fosamax, or in combination with vitamin D under the brand name of Fosavance, alendronate is a bisphosphonate drug prescribed for the treatment of osteoporosis, as well as for several other bone diseases. Alendronate slows bone loss, increasing bone mass, altering the cycle of bone formation, and preventing bone fractures.

Fosamax was also used for preventing steroid-induced osteoporosis, postmenopausal osteoporosis, and to treat Paget's disease of the bone. This drug is marketed by Merck, a pharmaceutical company that has withdrawn other defective drugs, but negligently keeps promoting Fosamax. Class action lawsuits focus on this issue for litigation.

Voluntary withdrawal of pain reliever Vioxx, made people believe that Merck would agree to pull Fosamax off the market, but contrary to the expectations, the pharmaceutical company simply added selected cautionary information to the Fosamax website. On April 2006, a class action lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court at Fort Myers, Florida.

Merck is sued because Fosamax is causing a rotting of the jaw bone, but more commonly (and alarming) osteonecrosis of the jaw. Fosamax was noted for numerous side effects, including allergic reactions, such as hives, swelling and difficulty breathing, often accompanied by other symptoms such as chest pain, heartburn, and pain or burning under the ribs or in the back.

In more severe cases, the drug causes difficulty or pain when swallowing, severe muscle, join, or bone pain, degenerating in jaw pain, numbness, and swelling. However, Merck encouraged the continuation of using Fosamax after talking with a physician, if patients suffered from mild heartburn, stomach upset, diarrhea, gas, constipation, headache, mild back or joint pain.

Through the suit, lawyers have found that Fosamax has many other side effects, including poor blood supply to jaw bone resulting in bone death and tissue damage, a condition known as osteonecrosis, and the alleged side effect seeking for the class action status.

The problem has been aggravated with people taking dietary supplements, antacids, or medicines contain calcium, aluminum, magnesium, and other minerals that interferes with how the body absorbs Fosamax. People with "certain" disorders of the esophagus, severe kidney disease, low blood calcium, or are allergic to the drug, simply must avoid the drug, according to Merck.

In August 2004, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asked Merck to include a warning on the Fosamax's label, but the company has not complied with such request, even when the FDA's review concluded that Fosamax labels should mention osteonecrosis.

Claiming to develop, manufacture and distribute medications with patients in mind, Merck's refusal makes some believe that is the annual revenue of $3.2 billion for this drug is at the top of Merck's priority list. Alendronate, the active ingredient in Fosamax, belongs to a class of nitrogenous bisphosphonates used for chemotherapy

In January 2005, Merck updated the drug's label, but according to Tim O'Brien, the man behind the lawsuit, the information is not an adequate warning, hiding the potential risks. Fosamax is the second best-selling drug manufactured by Merck, and it is not expected that they will withdraw the product whether in the short or long-term.