Pharmaceutical giant, Merck & Company, has been accused of creating “fake” medical journals touting the benefits of its osteoporosis drug Fosamax. The global drug manufacturer has already been accused of deceptive marketing practices and is certainly creating the impression that it will do whatever it takes to boost sales. Unfortunately, it's consumer users who suffer the most.

Fake medical journals?

Yes – fake. At least that's what the life science magazine, The Scientist, and consumer advocate groups such as Public Citizen are saying. The controversy started many years ago when Merck published several medical journals touting the success of its anti-inflammatory drug Vioxx which was taken off the market years ago. Merck allegedly paid scientists to sign their names to medical journals that were submitted to the medical community. However, many of those journals were simply marketing material disguised as serious medical journals.

New investigations are now alleging that Merck did the exact same thing with its osteoporosis drug, Fosamax (alendronate), which is still on the market, but is the subject of numerous lawsuits. Those suits allege that Fosamax is dangerous and that Merck knew about the dangers of contracting Osteonecrosis of the Jaw (ONJ), a debilitating process that is extremely painful and esophageal cancer, but did nothing to warn consumers about those risks. Unfortunately, this is not the first time Merck has been in the spotlight about deceptive practices.

Merck banned from deceptive marketing practices

As part of Merck's $5 billion Vioxx settlement, the company was banned from using deceptive marketing practices. However, it has been accused of continuing those practices with some of its other products such as its cholesterol drug Vytorin and now Fosamax – the most commonly dispensed bisphosphonate in the U.S. from 2001-2004 according to statistics from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, which also reported that over 20 million prescriptions of Fosamax were written in 2004 alone.

Consumers confused

Consumer comments posted on numerous Internet blogs show that consumers, and many of their doctors, are confused about the possible side effects of Fosamax – simply because they don't know what to believe. If Merck has been providing fake medical information about the product, or maybe not being as truthful as it could be, it's no wonder that hundreds of lawsuits have been filed against the company. If you've taken Fosamax and would like additional information on the status of these lawsuits or to discuss your situation, contact an experienced Fosamax lawyer. As always, consultations are absolutely free and without obligation.