Merck Beats Suits Tying Thighbone Fractures to Osteoporosis Drug

Merck & Co. defeated hundreds of suits by consumers alleging the bone-building drug Fosamax caused thighbone fractures, as a federal court in New Jersey on Wednesday said federal drug labeling law bars their claims challenging the drugmaker’s warning.

The plaintiffs, who suffered fractures between 1999 and 2010, allege the drugmaker didn’t warn soon enough that the osteoporosis drug could cause atypical—or low-energy—femur fractures, which are thighbone breaks that happen without impact. Their suits were combined in multidistrict litigation in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

In October 2010, the Food and Drug Administration directed makers of ...