Fosamax, an osteoporosis drug, is usually prescribed by doctors to patients in the form of 5-70mg oral tablets. Tablets are often the medicine of choice for many since it’s relatively simple to take. But Fosamax’s active ingredient, alendronate sodium, is not easily absorbed by the human body. If users take it without food and water, only 0.6-0.7% of the drug is absorbed, and the rest is excreted through natural processes. It isn’t good for people with osteoporosis to have this low absorption rate but it definitely is good on Merck’s profits. Intravenous Fosamax is also prescribed by doctors alteratively. When taken this way, patients’ bodies absorb far greater amounts of alendronate sodium, and oncologists prescribe Fosamax in an IV if they think it’s necessary for those undergoing chemotherapy. Presently, many have filed a Fosamax lawsuit against Merck to recover compensation.
A higher absorption rate would also mean that the effects of the drugs would be swifter and greater. Usually, documented cases of biphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) was found to be a result of Fosamax which was administered intravenously. As one case shows, through an article written in the Tribune-Star, a woman was injected with IV Fosamax to treat a minor upper thigh osteoporosis. After being injected with the drug twice, she developed ONJ. The case was quickly taken cared of but she needed to have several of her teeth removed. The drug manufacturer, of course, denied any causal connection, stating, “Based on best available scientific evidence, a causal relationship between osteonecrosis of the jaw and bisphosphonate therapy, or any individual therapy factor, has not been established.”
Fosamax lawyers could learn two lessons from taking Fosamax orally and intravenously. First, doctors over-prescribing Fosamax to patients who only have minor cases of osteoporosis should be a cause for concern. Second, while the connection hasn’t been researched, it’s possible that people who’ve received IV Fosamax are more likely to suffer a femur fracture than those who took Fosamax orally for many years.
If you or a loved one has been through a similar case or when you are undergoing bone complications as a result of taking Fosamax, you should consider speaking with a competent lawyer about filing a lawsuit against Merck. There are more comprehensive updates in the Fosamax lawsuit information center and it would do you well to check it out.
