Some former Fosamax users who have filed lawsuits against Merck have alleged that the company failed to properly warn them about the risk of developing osteonecrosis of the jaw after using Fosamax. This condition occurs when reduced blood flow to the jaw leads to the death of jawbone tissue. Osteonecrosis of the jaw is also known as jaw death or jaw necrosis.

The plaintiff in the first Fosamax lawsuit scheduled for trial, Shirley Boles, alleges that she used Fosamax from 1997 until 2006, when she developed osteonecrosis of the jaw. The lawsuit filed by an attorney on her behalf alleges that Merck knew about the risks of jaw disease associated with Fosamax since the mid-1990s, but failed to properly alert patients about its risks.

Boles’ attorney alleges that Merck had received reports about side effects associated with the use of Fosamax since 1996. The company has received thousands of reports of jaw death since then, the attorney states.