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Are You Eligible to File an Osteonecrosis Lawsuit?

If you have suffered from osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) after taking the bone-strengthening medication Fosamax®, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit against Merck & Co., the maker of the drug.

A woman from Florida was recently awarded $8 million in damages. The verdict was the first favorable finding for plaintiffs suing Merck for its Fosamax® drug causing their ONJ or dead jaw, as it is sometimes called.

To find out if you are eligible to be compensated for your pain, suffering and expense of this serious condition, contact an ONJ lawyer. Our dead jaw lawyers would be pleased to provide you with a free initial consultation to review the merits of your situation. To reach one of our ONJ attorneys, call (800) 889-3898 or send us an email and someone from our firm will be in touch with you shortly.

Osteonecrosis of the Jaw

ONJ means the deterioration and death of the jawbone. It can often be underway even before the sufferer is aware of the condition. Symptoms include:

• Pain in the jaw (this is usually the first noticeable symptom)
• Loosening of teeth
• Soft tissue
• Swelling of tissue around the jawbone
• Infection of the area

ONJ occurs when bone is lost faster than it can be replaced. Our bones are continuously turning over the tissue that constitutes them. Some cells, called osteoclasts, break down older bone tissue. Other cells, called osteoblasts, form new tissue. If bone cells are being broken down faster than they are being renewed, osteonecrosis is the result.

The word osteonecrosis comes from a combination of two Greek words. Osteo is a combining form of the word for bone. Necrosis means the process of dying or death.

Osteonecrosis and Fosamax®

Fosamax® (alendronate) is in a class of drugs called bisphosphonates. These drugs are made to keep people’s bone strong by suppressing the activity of the osteoclasts. Thus, less bone tissue is being destroyed while more bone tissue is being formed. This helps to keep the bones from thinning and fracture.

Most cases of ONJ have occurred in cancer patients who were receiving intravenous bisphosphonates to treat any cancer that spread to their bones.

But, it has been found that there are in fact cases of ONJ occurring in other patients as well. Most of these people were taking a bisphosphonate like Fosamax® and either had serious dental disease to begin with or were undergoing an invasive dental procedure such as a root canal or a dental implant.

In fact, the risk of getting dead jaw from taking Fosamax® orally to treat or prevent osteoporosis was high enough, that as early as 1994 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) added information to their safety label in the Fosamax® packaging. The information warned of the possibility of getting ONJ after taking the medication.

If you or someone you love has endured ONJ after taking Fosamax®, you may want to talk with a lawyer about filing a lawsuit against Merck. To schedule a private consultation with an experienced osteonecrosis attorney, call toll free (800) 889-3989 or send us an email and someone will be in touch with you shortly.