Several Fosamax lawyers have been appointed to serve as leaders in the recently formed multidistrict litigation (MDL) by US District Judge Garret E. Brown, Jr. Brown is presiding over all federal Fosamax femur fracture lawsuits as ordered by the US Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation last May. Those who claimed to have been affected by Fosamax must be aware that not taking Fosamax correctly could damage your lawsuit against Merck.

The appointed attorneys will perform certain actions during the coordinated litigation that will benefit all plaintiffs who have filed a lawsuit over a fractured femur from prolonged Fosamax intake. Fosamax (alendronate sodium) which belongs to a group of drug called Bisphosphonate is a popular osteoporosis medication manufactured by Merck & Co. since 1995. Although it was designed to strengthen the bones, recent studies have suggested that long-term use of Fosamax and other Bisphosphonates might lead to severe side effects such as femur fractures, osteonecrosis, musculoskeletal pain and esophageal cancer.


The studies prompted the warning for those under Fosamax medication to seek immediate medical attention if they experience groin pain, which may occur several weeks before a complete fracture while on Fosamax. All lawsuits involved in the MDL allege that side effects of Fosamax increase the risk of atypical femur fractures, which can occur with little or no trauma at all. The plaintiffs claim that Merck failed to properly research the medication or adequately warn consumers.

Since the FDA required new warnings about the risk of Fosamax thigh bone fractures in October 2010, a growing number of Fosamax lawyers throughout the United States have been reviewing and filing lawsuits since then on behalf of individuals who suffered a sudden femur fracture while taking the medication. When the MDL was formed, 36 Fosamax fracture lawsuits were pending in federal district courts throughout the United States. Since then, 24 additional cases have been transferred to the MDL and in addition, a larger number of cases have been filed in state court in New Jersey and other states throughout the United States.

This MDL, however, will have no impact on Fosamax lawsuits over jaw problems, known as osteonecrosis of the jaw, as the latter will remain centralized as part of a different MDL in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, before U.S. District Judge John F. Keenan. More than 900 Fosamax jaw lawsuits were consolidated in New York, as part of an MDL that was established in August 2006. Fosamax fracture lawsuits were excluded from this MDL because it was determined that the evidence of general causation leading to femur fractures would likely differ substantially from cases dealing with jaw bone damage.