FOSAMAX: Woman Awarded $8M After Osteoporosis Drug-Induced “Jaw Death”

NOTE FROM Ann Blake-Tracy (www.drugawareness.org):

Perhaps Merck should just quit while they are SO FAR BEHIND!!! As if the
Vioxx damage suits and wrongful death suits were not keeping their legal team
busy enough, now they are just beginning a huge backload of jaw death
cases related to Fosamax!

Fosamax is a drug I have warned of for years due to the fact that the main
ingredient in the drug is fluoride – yes the same stuff that is in your
drinking water at toxic levels. Fluoride is also the main active ingredient
in MANY of the SSRI antidepressants. It produces fluorosis which is almost
indistiguishable from neurosis as far as damage to the brain goes.

Why I have always warned against using it for osteoporosis is not only due
to the brain damage, but because fluoride hardens bone and does not know
when to stop. So the bones and teeth become so hard that they shatter on
impact because they become so brittle. Flouride also increases serotonin and
the main function of serotonin is constriction of muscle tissue. As the veins
and arteries close off so does the blood supply to the jawbone or anywhere
else the drug is targeting. Too bad science has never opted for using
wisdom along with knowledge!
________________________

Boles’ suit was the second of almost 900 lawsuits filed by more than 1,280
plaintiff groups against Merck over claims that Fosamax causes a condition
called osteonecrosis of the jaw, or death of jawbone tissue.

http://www.aolhealth.com/condition-center/osteoporosis/fosamax-tied-to-jaw-p
roblems?icid=main|htmlws-main-w|dl3|link4|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.aolhealth.com%2Fc
ondition-center%2Fosteoporosis%2Ffosamax-tied-to-jaw-problems

Damage Related to ‘Jaw Death’
Woman Awarded $8M After Osteoporosis Drug Damages Jaw
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By Marrecca Fiore

A jury last week ordered Merck & Co. to pay $8 million to a Florida woman
who alleged the company’s osteoporosis drug Fosamax damaged her jaw.

The same case ended in mistrial nine months ago, Reuters reports. Merck
issued a statement saying it would challenge the verdict.

Shirley Boles, 71, of Walton Beach, Florida, sued Merck in 2006, claiming
she suffered dental and jaw problems after taking Fosamax from 1997 to 2006.

“Today’s verdict is just the first step, but it’s important because the
jury found that Merck defectively designed the drug,” Boles’s attorney Tim
O’Brien said in a statement.

Boles’ suit was the second of almost 900 lawsuits filed by more than 1,280
plaintiff groups against Merck over claims that Fosamax causes a condition
called osteonecrosis of the jaw, or death of jawbone tissue.

Although Boles’ won her suit, another suit decided in May by New York jury
found in favor of Merck.

“Both the finding and the amount of the compensatory damages are against
the weight of the evidence,” Bruce Kuhlik, executive vice president and
general counsel for Merck, said in a statement. “We believe the evidence showed
that FOSAMAX did not cause the plaintiff’s injury and that it is a safe
and effective medication that was properly designed.”

Two studies, one in 2005 and one in May of this year, found that
osteoporosis drugs such as Fosamax, Actonel, Boniva and Zometa or Reclast were
linked to osteonecrosis of the jaw. However, government regulators have said
the risks are rare and that the benefits of such drugs outweigh the risks.

When osteonecrosis of the jaw develops, the blood supply of the bone in
the jaw is interrupted and the bone dies. Pain, tooth loss, and the
appearance of exposed bone are common symptoms.

More on Osteonecrosis of the Jaw:
Osteonecrosis of the Jaw Caused by Bisphosphonates

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