osteo meds

[jrnyc]

did anyone else see a notice about a lawsuit concerning Fosamax...? i got something that went to Spam in my e mail...and am not personally interested in suing anyone...but was curious whether anyone else saw it...?

jess

[loves to skate]

Jess, I didn't see it but knowing how litigious our society is, Fosamax can help millions of people, but if there is one bad outcome, a lawyer will find it. I think I will try to google it and see if anything comes up.
Sally

[loves to skate]

This is what I found. Don't know if this is what you saw Jess.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Merck Not at Fault in Fosamax Trial, Jurors Say

11/22/2010

By NATASHA SINGER - New York Times
Published: November 19, 2010

A Manhattan civil court jury issued its verdict several hours after lawyers had presented their closing arguments in the case.Merck on Friday won a signature jury trial against Judith Graves, a Florida woman who had sued the company and claimed that its osteoporosis drug, Fosamax, caused her jawbone to disintegrate.

The decision represents the second of three bellwether jury trials on this issue to end in Merck’s favor. They and other cases are among litigation involving about 1,400 people across the country who have claimed they developed jawbone ailments after taking Fosamax, according to Timothy M. O’Brien, Mrs. Graves’s lawyer. In a third trial, a judge reduced the jury’s award to $1.5 million from $8 million, but both sides want to appeal. Another signature case is set to go to trial in March.

Friday’s verdict comes at a time when many physicians are rethinking the long-term use of Fosamax and other osteoporosis drugs known as oral bisphosphonates. Last month, the Food and Drug Administration issued a public advisory saying the drugs had been linked with — although not definitively as the cause of — rare thigh fractures. The agency will now require the labels of oral bisphosphonates to state that the optimum duration of taking the drugs is not known.

In Mrs. Graves’s case, Merck argued that Fosamax did not cause Mrs. Graves’s jawbone disintegration, a condition that led to several operations to replace her jawbone. Mrs. Graves, Merck argued, was taking other prescription drugs, including steroids for rheumatoid arthritis, that can weaken the immune system, and she had other health issues that can lead to jaw and dental problems.

“We believe the evidence showed the company acted properly, and that Fosamax did not cause the plaintiff’s dental and jaw problems,” Mike Brock, outside counsel for Merck, said in a statement.

As it deliberated Friday afternoon, the jury asked just one question of the judge — the date of the first medical journal report of a possible association between Fosamax and the rare jawbone problem, known as osteonecrosis or jawbone death, lawyers for both sides said Friday.

Because the first published report appeared in October of 2003, six months after Mrs. Graves’s condition became evident, the jury may have concluded that Merck could not possibly have known about such an association at the time of the plaintiff’s dental problems.

The jury voted seven to zero that Fosamax was not a defective product, said Paul F. Strain, outside counsel for Merck.

“We continue to believe that Fosamax is a good medication for a very bad disease,” Mr. Strain said. “We think the jury verdict closely supports our belief.”

In the company’s statement, Bruce N. Kuhlik, executive vice president and general counsel of Merck, said the company was pleased with the jury’s verdict.

“The company provided appropriate and timely information about Fosamax to consumers and the medical, scientific and regulatory communities,” he said.

[jrnyc]

thanks for posting, that, Sally...
i saw on internet that there are other lawsuits currently in the works for fractures of the femur...and probably lawsuits for every body part that could possibly break!

i had to stop Fosamax because i had to have a sinus lift and bone grafting to prepare for implants...upper right side was just finished, about to start upper left in January...that will require same lift and bone grafting, so i wont be on any osteo meds for a while...my perio guy and endo guys both told me i might not heal well if i were on osteo meds while all these procedures are going on...

i know lots of people take the stuff, and i am sure it helps many...i just couldnt go against the advice..plus, my GP in NYC agreed with the dentists...

jess

[loves to skate]

thanks for posting, that, Sally...
i saw on internet that there are other lawsuits currently in the works for fractures of the femur...and probably lawsuits for every body part that could possibly break!

i had to stop Fosamax because i had to have a sinus lift and bone grafting to prepare for implants...upper right side was just finished, about to start upper left in January...that will require same lift and bone grafting, so i wont be on any osteo meds for a while...my perio guy and endo guys both told me i might not heal well if i were on osteo meds while all these procedures are going on...

i know lots of people take the stuff, and i am sure it helps many...i just couldnt go against the advice..plus, my GP in NYC agreed with the dentists...

jess

Jess, I think you got very good advice from your Dental experts and your GP from what my dental hygienist has told me. Now that the Doctors know more about these fractures and in what situations they occur, they are better able to give good advice. Also, the newer lawsuits have a better chance of winning their cases, since more is known about the osteo meds. I will continue to take it until advised not to. My understanding is that after five years of bone density improvement, you can go off of it and still hold your own for awhile. Unfortunately, I lost some ground because of inactivity before and after my surgery. Good luck with your dental work. I don't envy you.
Sally

[jrnyc]

thanks, Sally...

hope you're warmer down in North Carolina than you were in MA!

jess