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Florida woman files Fosamax lawsuit |
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Tuesday, 09 October 2007 |
A woman in Florida has filed a Fosamax lawsuit against Merck & Co., the manufacturer of the drug. Linda Secrest’s lawsuit alleges that she developed a painful jaw condition known as osteonecrosis of the jaw, or jaw necrosis, after taking Fosamax.
In her Fosamax lawsuit, Secrest says that she used the drug for six years in order to treat her osteoporosis before she developed jaw necrosis. Fosamax can also be prescribed to patients with Paget’s disease and bone loss due to advanced cancer.
In addition to her allegations that Fosamax caused her to develop osteonecrosis of the jaw, Secrest alleges that Merck of hiding information about the risk of Fosamax side effects from its customers. Although the Food and Drug Administration advised the company to add a warning to Fosamax’s label about the risk of jaw necrosis, the drug’s patient information sheet carries no information about the potential danger of this side effect.
Although only 15 Fosamax lawsuits have been filed so far, Secrest’s Fosamax lawyers say that they expect to file about 300 additional Fosamax lawsuits. Many of the patients who have contacted Fosamax attorneys about filing a lawsuit say that they were never made aware of the risk of Fosamax side effects and osteonecrosis of the jaw before they began taking the medication. |