Fosamax Femur Fracture Lawsuit Attorneys
Fosamax femur fracture lawyers at Arentz Law Group, P.C. are aware of multiple cases where women suffered low-impact, low-trauma femur fractures while taking this osteoporosis drug. Approved by the FDA for the treatment of osteoporosis in September 1995, Fosamax (alendronate) belongs to the bisphosphonate class of drugs and is manufactured by Merck & Co., Inc. Unfortunately, an unacceptably high number of the millions of people in the United States who use Fosamax have suffered a rare, painful, and debilitating type of femur fracture that has been linked to this potentially dangerous drug. If you or someone you love has suffered a Fosamax femur fracture, attorneys at our firm are ready to help you pursue just compensation for your physical, emotional, and financial damages. Contact us today to schedule a free legal evaluation of your claim.
Fosamax Femur Fracture Information
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in February 2011 concluded that bisphosphonate medications such as Fosamax nearly triple the risk of medication-related femur fractures when a patient has used that drug for more than five years.
The femur is one of the strongest and largest bones in the human body, and typical femur fractures are a result of severe trauma. This is not the case with Fosamax femur fractures: our Fosamax lawyers are aware of women who have broken their femurs walking, going up or down stairs, or participating in low energy exercise. Because many Fosamax users suffer femur fractures that result from little to no trauma, these spontaneous and atypical breaks are known as “low energy” fractures.
In 2008, researchers conducting a Fosamax study published in the Journal of Orthopedic Trauma showed that 98% of patients who suffered a specific low-energy femur fracture pattern were found to be taking Fosamax for an extended period of time. The study also identified 70 femur fractures that were caused by low-energy falls from a standing height or less. In October 2010, the FDA issued a revised warning label for Fosamax and all bisphosphonates, alerting patients of the “risk of atypical fractures of the thigh, known as subtrochanteric and diaphyseal femur fractures, in patients who take bisphosphonates for osteoporosis.”
Experts believe that Fosamax femur breaks are a result of the drug’s interference with the natural process of bone remodeling and that it is this interference that leads to dangerously brittle bones. During normal bone remodeling the outer cells of a bone are naturally replaced, but Fosamax has been found to harden this outer layer of cells and prevent this process of renewal. In many cases, this causes tiny fractures to form and accumulate, eventually leading to breaks in the long part of the thigh bone that are not normally attributed to osteoporosis.
Low-energy femur fractures aren’t the only dangerous Fosamax side effect. Adverse event reports have also detailed numerous reports of deterioration of the jaw bone known as osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONG) as well as decay or deterioration of the knees, hips, and shoulders. Each of these conditions has the potential to cause permanent disability.
Contact a Fosamax Femur Fracture Lawyer
Broken thigh bones that are attributed to extended use of Fosamax are extremely painful and can result in severely limited mobility and a compromised quality of life. Our Fosamax lawyers have evidence that Merck was aware of an unacceptably high and growing number of Fosamax femur break reports, but the company displayed gross negligence in minimizing this risk to the public and in failing to make patients and the medical community aware of this possible Fosamax side effect. If you have suffered a femur fracture while taking Fosamax or another bisphosphonate, you have the right to hold Merck accountable for all of your damages in a dangerous drug lawsuit. The Fosamax attorneys at our firm have years of experience in pharmaceutical product liability litigation, and we have the resources and skills our clients count on to help them build a strong case. Learn more about your rights and how we will protect them: contact a Fosamax attorney at Arentz Law Group, P.C. to schedule a free consultation and evaluation of your claim.