Home : Unsafe Drugs : Fosamax : Law Articles : Alendronate (Fosamax) Risks Alarm Doctors
Alendronate (Fosamax) Risks Alarm Doctors
With recent allegations that mega-pharmaceutical corporation Merck's second best-selling drug, Fosamax and Fosamax D, causes bone death (osteonecrosis) of the jaw, the effectiveness and safety of alendronate and other bisphosphonates.
What Are Bisphosphonates?
Bisphosphonates are drugs that inhibit the resorption of bone. In other words, the drugs act against bone density loss that is characteristic in post-menopausal women, patients suffering from cancer, and Paget's disease patients. The part of the drug that is not expelled as waste by the body is rapidly absorbed into bone tissue, strengthening bones. Bisphosphonates on the market include Aredia, Bondronat, Actonel, Zometa and Fosamax, or alendronate, marketed by Merck.
Do Bisphosphonates Undermine Bone Growth?
Touted by Merck and other companies as a miracle drug that can heal the ravages of osteoporosis, Fosamax and other bisphosphonates have been proven to cause the opposite of their intended effect in some patients, who eperience osteonecrosis of the jaw. This irreversible syndrome is a painful slow bone death and often requires extensive oral surgery or long-term antibiotic treatment. In fact, a recent Los Angeles Times article quotes an endodontist from the University of Texas Health Science Center who states that over 1,000 patients with jaw necrosis have been uncovered in the last six to nine months alone. The American Association of Endodontists has stepped in, releasing a recent statement that indicates that all bisphosphonate patients are at risk for dead jaw syndrome. Doctors point out that it is often hard to diagnose bone death quickly enough, since many doctors may attribute severe bone pain to the symptoms of osteoporosis.
Are Bisphosphonates Overprescribed?
Possibly. In fact, Fosamax was approved for treatment of women who do not suffer from osteoporosis, but its weaker cousin ostopenia, or thinning bones. While Fosamax cuts the risk of a debilitating hip fracture for a woman with osteoporosis in half, its benefits are irrelevant for ostopenia sufferers, who are not at risk of hip fractures to begin with. Some experts who have tested Fosamax and other bisphosphonates state that the drug is definitely overprescribed.
Are There Any Alternatives for Osteoporosis Sufferers?
Yes. Right now there is one non-bisphosphonate drug on the market that might be an appropriate substitute for those who do not wish to risk the devastating side effects of Fosamax. Miacalcin is a less potent nasal spray with similar effects. In addition, pharmaceutical companies are reacting to the most recent Fosamax scandal by funding research into new alternatives to dangerous bisphosphonates.
What Are The Options for Fosamax Users?
The dangerous side effects of Fosamax use will surely come as a blow to hundreds of thousands of women who depend on the drug for treatment of osteoporosis. Consult with your doctor if you would like an alternative for Fosamax or other bisphosphonates. Otherwise, be ready to join the growing wave of pending class action litigation against Merck's deceptive Fosamax advertising and faulty research. You could be eligible for damages as part of the class of Fosamax patients covered in the Fosamax class action lawsuits.
