What pharmaceutical company makes Fosamax?
Merck
The FDA notes that Fosamax, which is made by the drug company Merck, is among the top 100 most frequently dispensed drugs in the U.S. Fosamax had annual sales of about $1.7 billion in the U.S. for the year ending in November 2007, states a Barr news release.
Is Fosamax still being sold?
Merck’s annual sales of Fosamax regularly topped $3 billion before the company lost patent exclusivity in 2008. Fosamax is now available as a generic.
Is there a lawsuit against Fosamax?
Merck faces thousands of lawsuits for its osteoporosis drug, Fosamax (alendronate sodium). In addition to several state lawsuits, the drugmaker faces three groups of consolidated Fosamax litigations. The main injuries claimed in these lawsuits are osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) and atypical femur fractures.
What can I take instead of Fosamax?
Alendronate (Fosamax), a weekly pill. Risedronate (Actonel), a weekly or monthly pill. Ibandronate (Boniva), a monthly pill or quarterly intravenous (IV) infusion. Zoledronic acid (Reclast), an annual IV infusion.
What is the generic brand for Fosamax?
Fosamax is also available as the generic drug alendronate. (A generic drug is an exact copy of the active drug in a brand-name medication.) Alendronate comes as tablets and as a liquid solution. Both of these forms are taken by mouth.
Is there a safer alternative to Fosamax?
In postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and a high risk of fractures, Prolia has the added benefit of lowering the risk of new vertebral and hip fractures. Prolia can be used to treat osteoporosis in men and postmenopausal women, including osteoporosis caused by steroid use.
Can Fosamax cause weight gain?
Weight gain isn’t a side effect that you should have while taking Fosamax. In clinical trials, weight gain didn’t occur in people taking Fosamax. However, peripheral edema (swelling in your arms or legs) has been reported by some people since Fosamax was approved by the FDA and released onto the market.
Did Merck know about Fosamax’s risks before it was added to label?
The plaintiffs in the multidistrict litigation alleged they suffered atypical femur fractures from long-term use of Fosamax from 1999 to 2010 and said Merck knew about the risk before finally adding it to the warning label in January 2011.
Is there a generic version of Fosamax?
Sales of Fosamax, also available as a generic drug, totaled $209 million in 2018, according to New Jersey-based Merck. Fosamax users sued Merck, alleging the drug caused them to sustain serious thigh bone fractures and that the company failed to warn of the risk.
Is Fosamax linked to bone fractures?
Merck in 2008 submitted data to the FDA suggesting Fosamax might be linked to certain bone fractures, but the FDA denied its warning label proposal. After a task force further studied the issue, the FDA in 2010 ordered manufacturers to revise labels to include a warning, which Merck did.
How many Fosamax products liability litigation cases are pending?
“Court documents, updated by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation reveal that on December 16 (2013), there were 899 cases pending in the Fosamax Products Liability Litigation (MDL 1789), and 1,107 cases pending in the Fosamax (Alendronate Sodium) Products Liability Litigation (No. II) (MDL 2243).” 2