In October 2010, Novartis, manufacturer of Reclast which is a drug highly similar to Fosamax, sent out letters to doctors in Canada warning them that their drug may in fact, cause kidney damage among users. American doctors did not receive any such letter which prompted Public Citizen, a consumer group, to send a letter to the United States Food and Drug Administration asking them that Novartis do the same. Public Citizen’s letter indicated that Novartis should have warned U.S. physicians when it warned the Canadian ones and that the FDA should have taken prompt action when it first knew about Novartis’s letters in 2010. Presently, a Fosamax lawsuit may be filed by those who were severely and similarly affected by Fosamax.
The manufacturer claimed that since April 20, 2010, it received 265 reports of Reclast-caused kidney damage. Unlike Fosamax, Reclast is usually administered intravenously, which ensures less of the drug is wasted; however, bisphosphonates are excreted through the kidneys, stressing those organs. Like Fosamax still, doctors were not advised to avod prescribing the drug to patients with renal malfunctions. The Reclast manufacturer had admitted that a single dose of the drug may cause immediate kidney failure and which require patients to undergo dialysis.
Reclast (zoledronic acid or zoledronate) and Fosamax (alendronic acid or alendronate sodium), bisphosphonates manufactured by Novartis and Merck respectively, were found to have caused osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) and atypical low-impact femur fractures. At present, Merck is facing a thousand ONJ lawsuits. Now users of Fosamax are filing femur fracture lawsuits as well which are under the process of being centralized for a multidistrict litigation.
Both pharmaceutical companies, Novartis and Merck, clearly did not sufficiently test Reclast and Fosamax. And due to this, patients who took their drugs are now experiencing health problems such as broken limbs and damaged kidneys. If you or a loved one was affected by the side effects caused by Fosamax, you are entitled to compensation from Merck. For further updates on the ongoing litigation, visit the Fosamax lawsuit information center now.
