Zometa Lawsuit and Side
Effect Information

Zometa side effects are quite severe and have prompted many patients to file Zometa lawsuits. A bisphosphonate, Zometa can cause a condition known as Dead Jaw.

Zometa Overview

Zometa (zoledronate, zoledronic acid) was approved to hit the market in 2001. It's sold by Novartis under the names Zometa, Zomera, Aclasta and Reclast and is used to avoid bone fractures in patients with bone marrow cancer and prostate cancer.

The other indications for Zometa are elevated calcium levels due to malignancy and pain from bone metastases. Reclast is a single 5mg infusion for the treatment of Paget's disease of bone. The FDA also approved Reclast in 2007 for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis.

There is some speculation that an annual dose of Zometa may prevent recurring hip fractures. This drug belongs to a class called bisphosphonates, its cousins are Actonel, Fosamax, Boniva and Aredia. Bisphosphonates are implicated in causing osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ). ONJ is also called BisPhossy Jaw and Jaw Necrosis. Osteonecrosis can be a cause of action for a Zometa lawsuit.

There are an estimated 36 million women who use bisphosphonates to prevent or slow osteoporosis. The number of women using these drugs increased drastically when hormone replacement therapy was found to increase the risk of heart disease and breast cancer. More women are taking bisphosphonates at an earlier age for longer periods of time, which may mean a higher risk of contracting ONJ.

For the drug Fosamax (same class as Zometa) over 2,400 people (since 2001) have developed bone death and jaw bone decay. Some of these patients have suffered severe pain and had to undergo jaw surgery to remove parts of their rotted jawbone. Dental surgery costs may be recovered as damages awarded in settlement for a Zometa lawsuit.

Zometa Side Effects & Other Concerns

Zometa side effects are similar to all other members of the bisphosphonate class. They may include swelling of the feet or legs, aching muscles, anemia and fatigue. This is more common with the first infusion only.

It seems the ONJ may be the result of using bisphosphonates I.V. for the treatment of cancer. The difficulty is that even with long-term studies, it is hard to tell if people taking this drug orally, as opposed to I.V., will develop ONJ. This type of complication has mostly been seen in patients with cancer who have been treated with zoledronate and need to have dental extractions.

Other common side effects can include fever, chills, joint & muscle pains, decreased kidney function, swelling at injection site, chest pain, inflamed eyes, itching and low blood levels of magnesium, phosphorus and calcium. These side effects are often mentioned in a Zometa lawsuit.

Signals that you may have ONJ will include a numbness in the jaw or feeling of it being heavy, gums that don't heal properly, swollen gums, loose teeth, gum infections and, if there is exposed bone due to an extraction, there may be drainage (from potential infections).

Some patients who have ONJ don't have the more serious form of this disease and may not show symptoms. It's usually the more advanced cases that may require jaw surgery. In 2003 Novartis updated its label to include the warning about ONJ from taking Zometa.

Lawsuits of note against Novartis have been and are for:

* Wrongful Dismissal Law Suit - Famvir, genital herpes drug; Novartis fraudulently inflated the price of the drug and then fired the employee who complained about it

* Class Action Lawsuit - discrimination in employment, $100 million in damages sought

* Watson Pharmaceutical - Exelon/rivastigmine tartrate for Alzheimer's, patent infringement

* Elidel - treating skin conditions and it caused cancer

* Zelnorm/tegaserod maleate - Irritable Bowel Syndrome, increased 10 fold the risks of heart attacks and strokes, taken off market in 2007

* Class Action Lawsuit - Novartis employees wrongly denied overtime

* Pfizer - Zithromax/antibiotic - patent infringement

* Class Action Lawsuit - Novartis employees, 19 women in gender discrimination suit

* Schering AG - Novartis breached contract pertaining to US production of MS medicine Betaseron

* Aredia/Zometa - bisphosphonates for osteoporosis causing osteonecrosis or Dead Jaw

* Medicaid - fraudulently inflated drug prices

* Baby Bottle Class Action - manufacturer was aware that the chemical bisphenol A, used to make plastic hard and shatterproof, would pose serious risks to infants and children by leaking from baby bottles and sippy cups

* Trileptal - epilepsy drug causing Stevens-Johnson Syndrome

Zometa Lawsuits

If you or a loved one has experienced Fossy Jaw, contact a dangerous drug attorney and discuss your Zometa side effects. A good Zometa attorney will inform you of your rights and how to proceed with filing a Zometa lawsuit.




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