Need to buy Fosamax for that bone-cracking osteoporosis that has been plaguing you lately? You could buy Fosamax online if your bones are not permitting you to go to the nearest drugstore. But before you do take that Fosamax into your system, perhaps it is wise to know what the drug is all about.
People suffering from osteoporosis or other bone diseases must have heard of and have already used Fosamax (generic name: alendronate), a leading drug brand created to treat bone disorders. But what really stirred the excitement regarding the product is that Fosamax is the first drug that promoted bone loss reversal, especially among post-menopausal women diagnosed with osteoporosis. Produced by Merck Sharpe and Dohme, there are strings of controversies revolving around the drug, both medical and legal as of late.
With Merck’s US Patent on the drug set to expire in 2008, other pharmaceutical companies, specifically Barr Pharmaceuticals and Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, have set their sights on producing variants of generic versions of alendronate. Cheap Fosamax, one should say. Merck has been doing its rounds of appeals to block any attempts of making generic alendronate, but was defeated on February 6, 2008 when the US Food and Drug Authority decided against Merck’s plea and approved the creation of generic versions of such drug. The exclusivity of selling the drug has its rewards in the monetary sense; it being an effective medication against bone cancer, osteoporosis, and other bone diseases.
But aside from legal grounds, Fosamax also has to engage criticisms and accusations from the medical world regarding the drug’s side effects. Belonging to a group of drugs called bisphosphonates, medical experts have been linking Fosamax to known adverse body reactions caused by bisphosphonates such as nausea, abdominal pain, headache, and dizziness among others. Recently, medical reports suggested that taking Fosamax as a part of one’s medication may lead to two serious conditions – osteonecrosis of the jaw and atrial fibrillation. A number of patients who have taken Fosamax as part of their prescriptions have been reported to develop osteonecrosis or the death of the jawbone. Another study has shown that a few women taking Fosamax for osteoporosis have suffered from Atrial fibrillation, a chronic irregular beating of the heart.
However, Merck and a group of independent researchers have studied the evidences presented by researchers and have ruled that the link between Fosamax and atrial fibrillation is ‘unlikely’. Medical experts also cautioned those who are taking Fosamax to consult their doctor first before discontinuing its use.
