THE drugs giant Merck may need to hire yet more lawyers. Already facing lawsuits from thousands of patients who blame their heart disease on the painkiller Vioxx, Merck is now battling claims that its osteoporosis drug Fosamax can erode the jawbones.
Tim O’Brien, an attorney in Pensacola, Florida, has filed a suit on behalf of 250 patients who developed osteonecrosis of the jaw after taking Fosamax. In this condition, diminished blood supply causes bone to die.
Osteonecrosis of the jaw is a rare side effect of bisphosphonates, the class of drugs that includes Fosamax, particularly when people have had dental…
