Merck to battle three Fosamax® lawsuits in 2012

According to Consumer Drug Report, a resource for drug risk information, Merck is scheduled to have three initial Fosamax lawsuits, also known as bellwether trials, this year. The pharmaceutical giant and manufacturer of Fosamax is being sued by hundreds of individuals for adverse effects allegedly caused by the Fosamax drug.

Fosamax was designed to treat osteoporosis, a chronic condition which may cause bones to become fragile and break. However, according to numerous reports, the drug has been linked to adverse side effects.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved of Fosamax in October of 1995. Since then, approximately 20 million people have taken the medication. Prior to the release of a generic version of Fosamax, Fosamax brought in annual revenues of $3 million.

Each claim brought against Merck involves similar allegations that Fosamax causes osteonecrosis (ONJ) or “dead jaw,” a condition in which the jaw bone starts to deteriorate and may cause the jaw to show through the skin. As a result of this condition, full or partial jaw removal is often required. Other allegations against the company include claims that Fosamax causes atypical femur fractures. These femur fracture injuries are said to occur during normal activities such as walking or jogging.

Merck currently faces approximately 1,000 product liability lawsuits. Some claims state that the drug causes ONJ while others claim that the drug caused them to suffer atypical femur fractures. All federal cases filed by plaintiffs who claim Fosamax causes ONJ are consolidated before Judge Keenan in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York as part of multidistrict litigation (MDL). All cases filed by plaintiffs who claim Fosamax causes atypical femur fractures have been consolidated as part of a different MDL and is centralized in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.