Claris Law Legal Blogging Community

Editor: Tim O'Brien
Profession: Attorney at Law

In early October, the American Academy of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons will convene in San Diego. One of the hot topics the surgeons will discuss will be bisphosphonate-induced osteonecrosis of the jaw and how dentists and oral surgeons should handle patients, including those on Fosamax, who are at risk for ONJ.

At Levin Papantonio, we certainly applaud the efforts by AAOMS to proactively handle the increasing numbers of Fosamax patients with ONJ. The amazing thing is, even while this society is meeting, Merck still refuses to warn about the risk of ONJ associated with Fosamax. While Merck states in its Precautions that those chemotherapies containing nitrogenous bisphosphonates are associated with ONJ, nowhere does Merck come out and let physician and patient know that Fosamax, which is a nitrogenous bisphosphonate, also is associated with ONJ.

For more questions, you may contact me at http://fosamax.clarislaw.com/contact.php . At Levin Papantonio, we have been working on Fosamax-induced ONJ cases for more than one year and will continue in our efforts to fight for the rights of injured patients. Because, at the end of the day, we believe that both patients and physicians have a right to know the risks associated with a pharmaceutical product such as Fosamax.