Fosamax Jaw problem Lawsuit
Case Status a/o Sept/ 2006
We have filed several fosamax
cases against
Merck on behalf of individuals who have been given Fosamax and developed osteonecrosis of the jaw, also known as fosamax side effects ONJ.
Fosamax
lawsuit
While most of our individual fosamax lawsuit cases were filed several months ago, the process of getting them centralized was only accomplished recently when the Judicial Panel ordered all Fosamax cases transferred to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York for pre-trial proceedings.
As we have explained before, only pre-trial
fosamax and jaw
proceedings are being handled in New York. If your
case goes to trial, it is likely that such osteonecrosis and fosamax trial will take place in your home state.
.This Order sets forth a proposed schedule for the fosamax warning
litigation, including trial dates for 2008.fosamax class action lawsuit
Fosamax Side Effects Information
Pretrial Order #1: Plaintiff Counsel Structure (.PDF)
This Order established the members of the Fosamax jaw necrosis Plaintiffs' Steering Committee, the
group of fosamax injury lawyers that are in charge of the fosamax jaw problem
litigation.
http://www.mpowelllaw.com
The next substantive step in the Fosamax jaw necrosis litigation will be the production of
documents by Merck, is in the process of converting the d fosamax plus
documents to electronic fosamax lawyer
form so that we
can review them by computer rather than by hand. Once this conversion has been
done and the documents have been made available to us, we, along with the other Fosamax Injury Lawyer attorneys who have filed ONJ cases, will begin our review of those fosamax problem materials.
Fosamax jaw necrosis Lawsuit Alert
Our Legal Team has been
appointed to the
Plaintiff Steering
Committee
This committee has
the power to determine:
-what legal theories to pursue,
-what fosamax d depositions will be taken
and how to conduct fosamax attorney
discovery.
The next substantive step in the Fosamax jaw necrosis litigation will be the production of documents by Merck. Once these fosamax danger documents have been made available to us, we, along with the other attorneys who have filed ONJ cases, will begin our review of those materials.
We expect this
will take several weeks, if not longer. In the meantime, we will be performing other work on the fosamax and osteonecrosis of the jaw cases, such as meeting with experts in the fosamax drug
medical profession, collecting medical records from you various doctors and continuing to meet with each of you in person to talk about your
case.
Fosamax
® is a type of drug known as bisphosphonates. Recently a link has been found between bisphosphonates and a serious bone disease
called
osteonecrosisof the jaw (ONJ). This important
fosamax drug and side effects discovery clearly shows that Fosamax ®
side effects
may
include
osteonecrosis of the jaw.
The side effects from fosamax medication discovery, published in the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, prompted both the US, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Novartis, the manufacturer of bisphosphonates used in cancer chemotherapy, to issue a fosamax jaw necrosis
warning to health care professionals on September 24, 2004. The warning
letter
contained information about bisphosphonates and the risks of osteonecrosis in
the jaw.
About Osteonecrosis of the Jaw
"Expert Panel
Recommendations for the
Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment of
Osteonecrosis of the Jaws: June 2004"
http://www.ada.org/prof/resources/topics/
topics_osteonecrosis_whitepaper.pdf
This pamphlet outlines the fosamax osteoporosis
symptoms of ONJ
and the different procedures doctors may
perform in
order to make an accurate diagnosis.
The pamphlet also provides a list of
factors
that may increase one’s risk of developing
ONJ, as well as how to manage the bone fosamax jaw disease
and treat patients with ONJ.
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/SAFETY/
2004/Zometa_PI.pdf
(In particular pages 9-11,
20)
In August 2004, Novartis revised the product
information label for
Zometa, adding the risk
of developing ONJ to their list of precautions,
as well as to their Post-Marketing Experience notes.
"Coping with Cancer: Dental
Health and
Osteonecrosis of the Jaw"
ADA.org: A-Z Topics: Osteonecrosis of the Jaw
http://www.ada.org/prof/resources/topics/
osteonecrosis.asp
This article provides
information regarding dental
management for patients currently receiving
intravenous
bisphosphonate therapy. It also includes a link to a
document providing information on obtaining informed
consent regarding
the risks associated
with long-term bisphosphonate use.fosamax class action
"Osteonecrosis of the Jaw"
http://courses.washington.edu/bonephys/opjawON.html
This article provides a simple
overview of ONJ and
includes a detailed picture of exposed necrotic bone.
It also includes simple graphs displaying incidence
of ONJ in cancer
patients taking a variety of bisphosphonates
and a graph showing incidence
of ONJ
after prolonged bisphosphonate use.
isphosphonate-Induced Exposed Bone (
Osteonecrosis/Osteopetrosis) of the Jaws
Dr. Marx presents a detailed article regarding
his study of 119 ONJ patients, all who were treated with
either oral or intravenous bisphosphonates. He presents
all of his findings, which demonstrate that there exists a
direct correlation between ONJ and the use of bisphosphonates.
The article includes Dr. Marx’s recommendations for
preventing and treating ONJ. The article contains many pictures
of exposed bone, tissue loss, drainage,
x-rays of bone loss,
and pictures of infected, non-healing areas
where fosamax side effect
extractions occurred.
"Bisphosphonates May Put
Patients At Risk
For Deterioration Of The Jaw, American
Association of
Endondontists"
Medical News Today, April 3, 2006
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/
medicalnews.php?newsid=40774
This fosamax news
article explains the American Association of
Endodontists’ position statement regarding the
recent
findings regarding ONJ and bisphosphonates.
The AAE consider
themselves at the forefront of this emerging
ONJ problem based on the fact
that endodontists are experts at
finding the cause of oral and facial pain
that has been difficult to diagnose.
The article explains the AAE’s
recommendations to those
individuals currently taking bisphosphonates
and
those individuals that think they may be experiencing ONJ
symptoms.
"Jaw Disease Found in
Patients Using Cancer Drug"
Miguel Sanchez, Oral Cancer Foundation, March 6,
2006
http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org/
news/story.asp?newsId=640
While this article discusses
general information
regarding ONJ and the effects of prolonged bisphosphonate
use,
it also provides an outline of the medical reasons
why
bisphosphonates, meant to strengthen bones,
can actually have an fosamax jaw pain adverse affect on individuals’ jawbones.
Marx, Robert.
Bisphosphonate-Induced Exposed Bone
(Osteonecrosis/Osteopetrosis) of the
Jaws: Risk Factors,
Recognition, Prevention and Treatment.
J Oral
Maxillofac Surg
2005; 63 (11): 1567-75.
Http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/SAFETY/
2004/safety04.htm#zometa
This website will direct you to the US Food
and Drug Administration’s Zometa Safety Alert, fosamax onj
first posted on September 30, 2004.
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/SAFETY/
2004/ZometaHCP.pdf
This September 2004 letter was sent from
Novartis to doctors, making them aware of the
death fosamax jaw changes they recently made to the Aredia and
Zometa US package inserts, now including a
precautionary statement regarding a
possible risk of developing ONJ.
http://www.us.novartisoncology.com/info/
coping/dental_health.jsp
The Novartis Oncology website provides an overview
of what a person’s dental hygiene
routine should include if he or she has cancer. It also
discusses the risk of developing osteonecrosis of the
jaw and the factors that may increase the risk. Finally,
it provides information regarding diagnosis and treatment.
"Pamidronate (Aredia) and Zoledronate (Zometa)
Induced Avascular Necrosis of the Jaws: A Growing Epidemic
Robert E. Marx, Letter to the Editor, Journal
of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery. 61:1115-1118, 2003
Robert E. Marx, Letter to the Editor.pdf
Dr. Marx’s letter describes his study of 36 ONJ cases.
He explains how he reached the conclusion that a connection
exists between ONJ and bisphosphonates.
He describes common ONJ symptoms and how
bisphosphonates may affect the jawbone’s ability to regrow.
He concludes his letter by discussing methods of
prevention and possible fosamax class action
treatments for ONJ.
"Bisphosphonates and Osteonecrosis of the jaw"
Patrick M Purcell and Ian W Boyd, Australian Health
Review, eMJA (Medical Journal of Australia)
https://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/182_08_180405/
pur10144_fm.html
This article provides the clinical characteristics
of 13 ONJ patients, reported to the Adverse Drug Reactions
Advisory Committee (ADRAC).
It provides the patients’ age and sex, which bisphosphonate(s)
they were treated with and why, how long they were receiving
bisphosphonate therapy before the onset of their ONJ,
and their related fosamax medication
symptoms.