Fosamax Updates
Fosamax warning was published in the Journal of Oral and
Maxillofacial Surgeons, and it prompted the US Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) and the manufacturer of Fosamax
to issue a warning to health care professionals on September
24, 2004. This is one of the more recent Fosamax lawsuit the
FDA has given.
In another update there has been a recent increase of
reported cases of osteonecrosis of the Jaw (ONJ) which are
potentially linked to Fosamax use. What happens with
osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) is the bone tissue in the jaw fails to heal after minor trauma such as a
tooth extraction, causing the bone to be exposed. With this kind of exposure of the jawbone can easily
lead to infection and fracture and may require long-term antibiotic therapy or surgery to remove the
dying jawbone. Medical experts say early detection and early treatment of patients with jaw bone
necrosis is extremely important in preserving the jawbone.
There have been about 2,400 cases of reported ONJ since 2001. To repair jaw bone damage, a painful
surgery is required to remove dying bone tissue. Jaw pain, numbness, exposed oral bones, loss of teeth
and infection are all known side effects of ONJ. The use of such drugs as Fosamax for an extended period
of time for treatment of osteoporosis and bone cancer may actually be a cause of ONJ. .
There has been a recently appointed task force which was tasked to report on bisphosphonates like
Fosamax an association with atypical femur fractures in osteoporosis patients has caused the FDA to
consider requiring drug companies like Merck to make a label change to increase the warning about this
rare but serious side effect.
There has also been an online article dated September 14, 2010 by the Journal of Bone and Mineral
Research titled “Atypical sub trochanteric and diaphyseal femoral fractures: Report of a task force of the
American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.” The task force findings stated that the task force
reviewed 310 cases of “atypical or low-impact femur fractures,” and found that 94 percent (291) of
patients had taken Fosamax, for more than five years.
Fosamax is a prescription drug that is designed to supposedly help with the treatment of bone loss due
to osteoporosis and other bone diseases. There have been however, recent findings by online
publications and task forces that has shown that Fosamax can potentially cause low-impact femur
fractures.