Do you have a bone to pick?

It’s unfortunate when a prescription drug designed to help a medical condition has side efffects so severe they cause other serious medical conditions. Such is the case, allegedly, with Merck & Co.’s widely used drug for osteoporosis: Fosamax. Many claim Fosamax causes damage to the jaw (specifically, osteonecrosis of the jaw). In fact, Merck is currently embroiled in lawsuits that involve nearly 900 cases of osteonecrosis caused by Fosamax.

There’s already been some drama with the first case that has gone to trial. That trial involved a 71-year-old woman who took Fosamax from 1997 to 2006. The trial just ended in a mistrial because the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict. Jurors supposedly did not get along (there were even rumors of chair throwing in the jury room). Well, there are plenty more trials around the bend for Merck.

This was posted on Monday, September 14th, 2009 and is filed in the Dental, Dental Health, Legal categories.