While two major bisphosphonate medications have been on the brink of recall from the market because of links to a side effect which causes the chronic jaw disease Osteonecrosis of the Jaw, Merck's Fosamax Recall still appears far from happening.
In 2005, the FDA required a special label warning be placed on Novartis' medications Zometa and Aredia. Both medications updated their warning labels to reflect the links to development of ONJ if they have any dental procedures such as tooth extraction on a black label update.
Novartis also sent out a letter to medical professionals and dentists to warn of the high correlation of patients taking bisphosphonates and dental surgery, primarily focusing on the Phossy Jaw risk.
In the "Dear Doctor" letter filed for Zometa in 2005, warning against dental work on cancer patients who received Zometa intraveinously. However, similar drugs such as Merck's Boniva and Fosamax (including Fosamax D) have neither sent a letter nor changed their labels. Not taking proactive measures has placed Merck and Fosomax in the spotlight of legal and class action lawsuit possibilities. Considering the chemical makeup of Zometa and Fosamax are very similar (both members of the bisphosphonate drug family), some could argue that Merck has already breached the public trust. In the opinion of some lawyers, this case was strong enough to file Fosamax lawsuits in several states.
If you are taking Fosamax or any similar medication, you should consult with your dentist before attempting any type of dental procedures. If you have experienced any type of jaw disorder after taking Fosamax, you should speak to both a doctor and a lawyer as soon as possible.