Fosamax Femur Fractures in Media Spotlight
June 1st, 2010. By janem
I feel sorry for health officials and researchers whose warnings about adverse drug reactions fall on deaf ears; if only they could employ TV anchor Diane Sawyer to heighten public awareness. Case in point: the link between Fosamax and femur fractures.
Since 2008 researchers have suggested that patients-especially women–using Fosamax may be at risk for increased risk of bone fracture. Although the femur is the strongest and biggest bone in the body, a number of Fosamax patients have fractured their femurs simply from from walking. You can watch Diane Sawyer’s investigation and a follow-up report on ABC News here.
But not even Diane Sawyer and the media can budge the FDA. It says a warning to doctors at this point isn’t justified, but they will “seriously look into it”. That’s good news for Merck. But if the agency sends a letter to doctors, it would allow them to get data they need to have Merck slap a femur fracture warning on the drug. Merck has likely banked heavily on Fosamax profits, especially given the age of baby boomers…
Back to those researchers. In 2008 Cornell University Medical School researchers showed that Fosamax patients are more than 125 times as likely to suffer non-traumatic femur fractures than patients who have not taken Fosamax. And there have been more studies to back-up Cornell.
At first, Fosamax prevents bone loss but loss over time it may also limit the bone’s natural ability to protect itself from stress. A rheumatologist at National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington DC said that in up to 60 cases he looked at, most patients had been taking Fosamax or another type of bisphosphonate for more than five years. Potentially, many women who have taken Fosamax for 5 years or more can be walking around with brittle bones that can fracture at any time.
Here’s the clincher: on its website, Merck, the Fosamax manufacturer, says that “…after you start taking Fosamax, even though you won’t see or feel a difference and that for fosamax to continue to work, you need to keep taking it. From what I could glean, none of Merck’s clinical trials lasted more than four years. So how long does Merck want you to take it for?
For that matter, should any drug be taken longer than indicated in clinical trials? After all, the drug was approved based on most trials from 1-2 years. When it was initially approved, Merck stated that “side effects observed in clinical trials were generally mild. The most commonly reported drug-related side effects in subjects taking Fosamax were abdominal and musculoskeletal.
Recent label changes made Merck add the following: bone, joint, and/or muscle pain, occasionally severe, and rarely incapacitating; joint swelling; low-energy femoral shaft and subtrochanteric fractures. But who reads that? Thanks, Ms. Sawyer.
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I am one of the femur fracture victims who took Fosamax for close to 10 years. My femur fractured while I was walking down the street! I was 57 at the time (2006) and the docs could not figure out why it broke. I now find that the statute of limitations on suing Merck was 2 years from the event. Since there was no known relationship between these fractures and Fosamax at the time, does this statute of limitations remain at 2 years? I live in Texas. Thanks – Susan McCoy
Hi Susan, Thanks for your comment–and I'm sorry you had the experience you did; I can only imagine how startling it must've been to be doing "normal" activity and finding yourself with a fractured femur with no apparent reason. For starters, statutes of limitations–ie, how long you have to file a lawsuit–differ state by state; but also you need to know how the statute of limitation is defined–for example, in many instances, the statute of limitations begins from the time that the defendant should have or did know that a problem existed that was causing injury to someone. So in your situation, as you state that there was no known correlation at the time, the timing on the statute may have actually begun to run later–ie, once the correlation was clearly made. Your best bet is to submit your details on a claim form for a lawyer to review. You can do so here on LawyersAndSettlements.com–it's free and no obligation on your part. It's really the best route (and no, I'm not saying that because I work here!)–but you really need an attorney who specializes in Fosamax litigation to determine you're situation/options. Good luck, and I hope you're doing much better now.
I have been taking fosamax & generic for years. I am 59 yrs old, last year I broke my R femur had a rod put in this year a couple weeks ago I broke my L femur again a rod was put in. I would have never taken fosamax had I known this could happen. I'm so mad
Hi Janice, I am so sorry to hear about what you've been through. Unfortunately too, given that Fosamax is given preventatively–and I also did a post recently on an article in More magazine that was worth a read on this–when women have been taking it for a longer period of time and thinking they are doing something positive, it's an incredible shock to suddenly find yourself with a broken femur. That is not to say that Fosamax does not have benefits, particularly for those most at risk for hip fractures, but when it's used across the board preventatively for osteoporosis in general or low bone density, perhaps the risk of femur fracture begins to outweigh that of hip fracture. Regardless, I don't know if you've already gotten legal help, but it may be worth it to have a lawyer review the details of your situation–you can do that on LawyersAndSettlements.com here–it doesn't cost anything. The lawyers who review your case are those specializing in Fosamax litigation. At any rate, I hope you're truly on the road to recovery with no recurrence, and that you're managing through all the therapy involved. Good luck to you, -Abi
I, too, fractured my right femur – 5 years ago at age 54. The femur shattered so badly that the Dr. did not think that I would make it through the surgery. I had complained to my endocrinologist about the severe pain in my thighs, but he said that it couldn't have anything to do with my osteoporosis. He was right – it was the medicine to treat the osteoporosis. After the break, I was given Forteo shots for two years. I am praying that I do not get bone cancer from that drug. (I was diagnosed with breast cancer in November).
Hi Linda, Sounds like you've been through quite a lot–and I hope your recovery and prognosis are both going well and positive. It's a shame that diagnosis of a Fosamax-related fracture can be difficult to make at first, given that the very drug that we all think should be helping to prevent loss of bone density can be causing breaks. I'm glad that although it seems to have taken a bit of time, your doctor was able to determine the cause of your fracture. I'm not sure if you had sought legal help at the time, but you may want to look into that as well. Thank you for sharing your story with us, and we wish you all the best for continued health going forward.
I've taken Fosamax for 10 years and was recently diagnosed with an atypical femur fracture on the left side. Now, the right side is beginning to click and cause pain just as the left side did for about a year before the confirmation. Here are the questions I don't hear anyone asking or answering: 1. should I be testing all of my bones for weakness? if so, what is the best test? 2. what is the best way to strengthen my bones? I walk, swim, bike, kayak, weight lift and do Pilates, eat dark, leafy vegetables, salmon, yogurt, etc! – and still I have this fracture. 3. If Fosamax made my bones more brittle, is there any way to reverse that or re-build bones? 4. would hip-replacement help – or are my bones too brittle now?
Hi Suzi, I’m sorry to hear of all you’ve been going through with Fosamax. Unfortunately, the questions you’re asking–which are all good questions and ones that I myself have as I think about getting older and being able to maintain good bone health–are ones that you really need to pose to your doctor. The one thing I can comment on, is that if there is a correlation between your taking Fosamax over a long period of time and your then being diagnosed with an atypical femur fracture–and yes, the two, Fosamax and fractures, have been linked, then you may also want to consider looking into legal help. That you can do here, free of charge, by filling out the information here and submitting it–it’ll then be reviewed by a lawyer. Again, I am very sorry to hear about your diagnosis–it sounds like you lead a very active life and enjoy many sporting activities, and I’m sure learning that you have a femur fracture was not exactly welcome news.
This is really crazy. I started taking Fosamax in May 1999. In November of 1999, I broke my femur. Granted, it was a skiing accident, but I was on a bunny slope going very slowly and then I fell. I broke my left femur. Even the doctor was amazed at the breakage for a slow skiing accident. It took a whole year before I walked totally normally again. I gave up my crutches in about 4 months and worked very hard to regain everything I had. Of course, there was no news story then that the break could have been linked to the Fosamax. I continued taking osteoporosis drugs for 6 more years. I finally quit because every drug I took I had bad side effects, including fainting spells on forteo. I looked up the side effects of forteo after 2 fainting spells.
I took the drugs on the advice of doctors and the fact that my mom had osteoporosis very badly. I also have osteoporosis but I will not take these drugs again as I have become afraid to take them. I now drink more milk and try to exercise as much as possible. I think slowing down makes age related degeneration happen more quickly.
Hi Joan, It is crazy–and the worst part of it is that many of the patients who've been affected by the link between Fosamax and fractures have experienced their fractures while doing something fairly innocuous–and yes, while you were indeed skiing, as you say, it was a bunny slope in which you would not normally expect to have such an injury. I'm not sure whether you ever considered seeking legal help–particularly now that you've become aware how Fosamax has been connected to things like femur fractures, but should you want to submit the details of your case for lawyer to review, you can do so here–simply fill out the form and a lawyer who specializes in Fosamax litigation will review your details. It's a free service to our readers. There is also more information on fosamax-related legal news and information here. I do hope that the more natural remedies you've begun to embrace continue to offset and mitigate any osteoporosis you have.
I am 61 years old and have been taking Fosamax, per drs. orders since October 31, 1996 (14 years). Since 2005 I was limping and hurting in the thigh (thought it was getting old). November 9, 2008 my L femur fractured as I tripped over a step. Medieval pain! Surgery and rehab. My good leg hurt so bad from the extra work I had an ex-ray. Nothing showed. Two years later (September 25, 2010) I stubbed my toe on some concrete and down I went with the R atypical femur facture, more Medieval pain more surgery. I have had transfusions with both. Now my new surgeon says you have had two femur breaks from taking Fosamx. He said “I see the fractures and know it is from 14 years of Fosamax”. I went to my specialist in osteoporosis and he concurs with the surgeon and says never take it again and he brings in another dr. and has me tell my story. They will start taking their long term patients off it. I have missed work (a teacher) two times ached for 5 years and am aching still. This has caused me untolded misery and the rest of my bones are good for my age! What to do? What to do?
Hi Julie, I've just read your comment and am very sorry to hear of all you've been through. I've sent you an email regarding your question of "what to do?"–given what you've shared, you may well have a legal case for which it would be best to have a lawyer review your details. The info on that is in the email I sent, but you can have a lawyer specializing in Fosamax lawsuits review your situation by filling out this form–it's a free service to readers. Thank you for sharing your story–it's important for others to hear and know that they are not alone and that they may have experienced similar and not even known that their fracture may have been due to Fosamax. We certainly wish you all the best as you continue to recover, and please do keep us posted on how you're doing–Good luck!
I've been taking fosomax for almost 10 years. On June 10 2010, I was standing on a chair cleaning my blinds reached too far and fell off the chair. I broke my leg in three places and shattered my shoulder. I had to have a shoulder inplant was in the hospital 9 days, a re-hab center 24 days, a wheelchair for three months. Everywhere I went people could not beleive I suffered such severe injuries from falling off a chair. Most people assumed I had been in a terrible car crash. I was wondering if I should seek legal counsel.
Hi Debbie, Goodness that sounds like quite a bit of injury from falling off a chair–and I'm sorry you had to go through so much surgery and rehab as a result of it. While I'm no lawyer myself, from the sound of it and from the link that's been established between Fosamax and fractures, you most likely should seek legal counsel–to at least see if you have a case. You can do so by filling out the form here and submitting it. Your information will go to a lawyer who specializes in Fosamax litigation–this is a free service we provide to our readers and there's no obligation on your part–but it would be your first step in seeking legal counsel. Fosamax litigation has been going on for a while now, so better to look into to this sooner than later so you avoid any timing issues relative to where the lawsuits currently are in the litigation process.
My mother (Nebraska) has been on both boniva and fosamax. December 2009 standing in her kitchen she slightly turned (no fall) and her left femur completely broke. Surgery took place and a rod placed down the femur. Rehab for months. After hearing about meds and femur fractures she insisted that her orthopedic doctor check her right femur. X-ray in April 2010 confirmed the right femur had the same fracture though not completely broken through, she was immediately admitted to the hospital before the femur completely broke, had surgery and had to also have a rod put down the right femur. She continues to be in lots of pain. What are her options?
Correction my mother was on actonel not boniva.
In February 2008 I got out of our car to walk into a building for a meeting when my right femur fractured spontaneously. I had surgery to insert a rod in my femur. I had been taking Actonel for about three years. My doctors did not have a clue as to what caused the fracture.
During 2009 and early 2010 I suffered progressively worse pain in my left femur area. Again, the doctors I went to focused on back problems. In light of my previous experience and media reports about bisphosphonates and femur fractures, I insisted that my primary doctor order an MRI of my left femur. It showed several fractures in my left femur – the leg had not broken yet. Consulting with an orthopedic surgeon, he sent me to surgery to insert a rod in the left femur.
Unfortunately, I continue to have pain in my left femur area and am pursuing the cause. I have also submitted my information to legal sources.