Femur Fracture lawsuits consolidated to one MDL

Femur fracture lawsuits filed by women who have taken Fosamax®, Boniva®, and Reclast®, which are included in a class of drugs known as bisphosphonates, will all be consolidated into a single multidistrict litigation, according to Consumer Drug Report, a medical drug information resource. Women who have taken these medications for the treatment of osteoporosis claim to have suffered femur fractures as a result of long term use.

Merck & Co., the manufacturer of Fosamax currently faces over a thousand lawsuits filed by women across the United States. Each lawsuit includes similar allegations that Merck failed to properly warn regarding the long term side effects of Fosamax. Three bellwether trials are scheduled this year and will help the courts predict future trends throughout litigation.

All Fosamax lawsuits are currently consolidated before Judge Garrett E. Brown for pretrial proceedings in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Several Boniva and Reclast femur fracture lawsuits have already been added to the Fosamax MDL. Theresa Thomas- Walsh claims that while taking Fosamax, Boniva, and Reclast, she suffered both right and left femur fractures. Her case was also added to the Fosamax MDL.

The Food and Drug Administration mandated all bisphosphonate drug manufacturers to update warning labels to include long term side effects such as bone injuries and femur fracture injuries.

It is recommended that anyone who has taken Fosamax, Boniva, or Reclast seek medical help if they experience symptoms of possible bone injuries which may include groin or thigh pain.

Bisphosphonate drugs are bone strengthening medications and are prescribed to women who suffer osteoporosis, a chronic condition which often leads to bone breakage. Fosamax is the most widely taken bisphosphonate in the U.S. and generated $3 billion in sales for Merck prior to the release of a generic version.

Victims continue to sue Merck for Fosamax® femur fractures

Consumer Drug Report recently reported a case filed by another victim of Fosamax femur fracture injuries. According to the drug risk information resource, a woman by the name of Reba Inez Patton and her husband Patrick Patton filed a claim alleging that bisphosphonate medication, Fosamax and Boniva®, caused her to suffer from a low-energy femur fracture in December 2010. The fracture is a rare form of bone injury which may occur with little or no trauma to the victim.

The Fosamax lawsuit was filed on December 15, 2011 against drug maker Merck & Co., maker of Fosamax, and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), maker of Boniva, in the Superior Court of New Jersey.

The complaint filed by the Patton’s alleges that both Merck and GSK falsely marketed the medications, which are designed to strengthen bones in women diagnosed with osteoporosis, claiming that the companies failed to provide sufficient warnings of the femur fracture risks.

Due to the femur fracture injuries, Mrs. Patton suffers severe and permanent damage requiring ongoing medical care.

Thousands of Fosamax femur fracture lawsuits have been filed against Merck & Co. all of which make similar allegations that the drug company failed to properly warn of the risks associated with long term use of Fosamax.

Fosamax was designed to treat osteoporosis, a chronic condition in which bones become brittle and break. The Food and Drug Administration approved Fosamax in October of 1995. Since its approval, over 20 million patients have taken the medication. The drug grew in popularity and prior to the release of a generic, Fosamax brought in revenues of $3 million.

All lawsuits filed against Merck have been consolidated as part of a multidistrict litigation and is centralized in the U.S. District court for the District of New Jersey.

Fosamax® linked to multiple side effects

Fosamax is now being linked to multiple side effects according to the resource for drug information site Consumer Drug Report. According to the report, Fosamax, a bisphosphonate drug designed to treat osteoporosis, is being linked to a number of adverse side effects.

Victims who have taken the medication say that injuries associated with Fosamax use include osteonecrosis (ONJ), also known as “dead jaw”, atypical femur fracture injuries, atrial fibrillation, and esophageal cancer.  

Merck & Co., manufacturer of Fosamax, claims that these side effects were questionable during their own clinical trials. The company also released a statement, countering arguments that the drug causes ONJ, which said “In worldwide post-marketing experience with Fosamax, Fosamax Plus D, rare reports consistent with osteonecrosis of the jaw have been received. Many of these reports lack sufficient clinical details to make definitive assessments or are confounded, particularly since a generally accepted definition of ONJ in the general population is unknown."

Fosamax attorneys have filed Fosamax lawsuits on behalf of victims affected by the injuries allegedly caused by Fosamax. Merck now faces thousands of lawsuits all involving similar allegations that the manufacturer failed to properly warn about the risks associated with the medication. The company is also accused of falsely marketing Fosamax for the treatment of osteoporosis.

These lawsuits have been consolidated into a multidistrict litigation and centralized in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

In October 2010, the Food and Drug Administration mandated that Merck update the product with new warning labels displaying the risk of femur fractures associated with Fosamax use.

Fosamax was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in October of 1995. It was approved to treat osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Over 20 million patients have been prescribed Fosamax since its approval and it generated $3 million per year in sales prior to the release of a generic version.

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.

Cases selected for pretrial discovery in Fosamax femur fracture lawsuit

Thirty-three cases have been selected for early trial by the lawyers involved in the Fosamax litigation.  An order released by the U.S. District Judge Garrett E. Brown stated that a telephone conference is not scheduled for 11/22/2011 in order to discuss and finalize the two sides’ selection of bellwether cases.  The bellwether cases will be used to find out the strengths and weaknesses of all of the current and future Fosamax femur fracture cases.

The allegations have been similar in all of the lawsuits that have been brought against Merck & Co., the manufacturer or Fosamax.  These allegations state that the osteoporosis drug Fosamax increases the risk of femur fractures when the drug is taken for one year or more.

The drug was initially created in order to strengthen bones in patients suffering from osteoporosis, but the drug has been alleged to do the opposite.  Some of the complaints Merck faces include claims of random and spontaneous femur fractures during low impact exercises such as jogging, walking, going up and down the stairs and sitting or standing.

In 10/2010, the FDA mandated the manufacturer of Fosamax, Merck, to update the warning labels for their product to display the risk of Fosamax femur fractures associated with the use of the drug.  For those experiencing pain in their thigh, it is highly urged to seek medical attention as this may be an early indicator of a Fosamax femur fracture.

At Judge Brown’s request, the parties have agreed upon a group of cases they believe should be used for early discovery in the Fosamax lawsuit.  Previously, there were thirty-nine cases identified by the parties to be included in early discovery.  Of these thirty-nine cases, nineteen were chosen by Merck and nineteen were chosen by the plaintiffs, with one unanimous choice as well.  Six of these cases were removed however, as some generic drug makers and plaintiffs who did not want to have their cases tried in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, leaving a final tally of thirty-three cases selected.

Fosamax Lawsuit Information Resource

More information on Fosamax lawsuits available at: http://cleveland.injuryboard.com/fda-and-prescription-drugs/

Attorneys Designated to PSC Intended for Fosamax Femur Multidistrict Litigation

This past October, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandated updated labeling information with regard to Fosamax in order to advise of your chance of atypical femur breaks. The notice has been based in research which demonstrates a connection among long term use of the medicine, most commonly prescribed to post-menopausal women for the prevention of osteoporosis, and femur bone injuries that can arise after little if any impact. In accordance with the Fosamax prescription medication manual, an individual really should get in touch with their physician immediately when experiencing completely new or uncommon hip, groin, or perhaps thigh soreness.

The judge presiding over the Fosamax lawsuits for femur fractures multidistrict litigation (MDL) just lately designated the committee of law firms to take action with respect to plaintiffs suing drugmaker Merck & Company due to its medicine's propensity to cause irregular thigh bone cracks.

If you have suffered a femur crack that you believe is linked to Bisphosphonate, you need to get in touch with us right away. Through a lawsuit against Merck, you could be in a position to recoup monetary reparations for your health-related expenses, lost pay, as well as other damages, but you risk receiving nothing at all without professional representation.

Multidistrict litigation is really a procedural mechanism that enables individuals with similar legal claims versus a common defendant to be able to consolidate their own lawsuits with the purposes of increased performance as well as resource conservation. In May a Alendronate femur bone fracture MDL had been set up by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) in answer for the increasing amount of problems that this bone-strengthening medicine Fosamax leads to low-impact femur fractures, a type of leg injury that may happen following accidents from standing height or perhaps less. Thus far, approximately sixty plaintiffs currently have accused Merck of failing to sufficiently study and give warning of the possible Fosamax side effects.

Overseeing the consolidated Alendronate legal cases is Examine Garrett E. Brown, Junior.  He is in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. On July fourteen The Judge appointed ten attorneys to a PSC. The people in this board will behave as liaisons for the additional Bisphosphonate femur law firms that represent plaintiffs inside the MDL and are responsible for coordinating the actual litigation versus Merck. Their obligations include things like planning discovery and also proceedings, callings group meetings involving plaintiffs' counsel, as well as discussing together with Merck's legal professionals.

If you need help with a legal case, Fosamax lawsuit attorneys are standing by to answer your questions.