Novartis got successive wins last week in jury trials in Kentucky and Missouri, in the Zometa lawsuits. Plaintiffs in both cases alleged that Zometa caused osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ), which is just an awful condition that can lead to chronic pain and disfigurement. It is also difficult to treat.
The battlefield in both of the lawsuits, as is often the case in drug cases, was the adequacy of the warning. Novartis apparently convinced these jurors it had properly warned about the osteonecrosis of the jaw side effect that has come for thousands with intravenous bisphosphonate medications like Zometa and Aredia.