Merck To Pay $8M Damages re Fosamax bone deterioration

In replay of a courtroom battle that ended in a mistrial last year, a federal jury voted unanimously that Merck’s Fosamax osteoporosis drug was responsible for causing jawbone deterioration suffered by a Florida woman, who was awarded $8 million in compensatory damages (here is the lawsuit).
Read article at pharmalot.com

Report Links Osteoporosis Drug to Esophagus Cancer

Fosamax May Be Tied to 23 Cases of Esophageal Cancer, Report Says
There could be some worrying news for the tens of millions of Americans currently taking Fosamax. A brief report published today in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests a possible link between the osteoporosis drug and the development of esophageal cancer.
Read article on the ABC News website (USA)

Bisphosphonates alert! - Adverse side-effects of prescribed drugs.

Information on Bisphosphonates
(marketed as Actonel, Actonel+Ca, Aredia, Boniva, Didronel, Fosamax, Fosamax+D, Reclast, Skelid, and Zometa)

Extract:

"FDA ALERT [1/7/2008] - FDA is highlighting the possibility of severe and sometimes incapacitating bone, joint, and/or muscle (musculoskeletal) pain in patients taking bisphosphonates. Although severe musculoskeletal pain is included in the prescribing information for all bisphosphonates, the association between bisphosphonates and severe musculoskeletal pain may be overlooked by healthcare professionals, delaying diagnosis, prolonging pain and/or impairment, and necessitating the use of analgesics.

The severe musculoskeletal pain may occur within days, months, or years after starting a bisphosphonate. Some patients have reported complete relief of symptoms after discontinuing the bisphosphonate, whereas others have reported slow or incomplete resolution. The risk factors for and incidence of severe musculoskeletal pain associated with bisphosphonates are unknown."