Merck Agrees To Extend Class Settlement "Opt In" Deadline -- For Fosamax® ONJ MDL, As Well -- Now April 30, 2014

As long as we are updating the status of some other bits of litigation at Merck today, let me mention this -- it actually was reported end of last week.

Word is now out, at the official Fosamax MDL site, that Merck will allow Fosamax^® ONJ claimants to opt in to the settlement, until the end of the day on April 30, 2014.

A full settlement terms packet should be at the site by late this week. From the site, then:

. . . .Lead [Plaintiffs' Steering Committee] Counsel Tim O'Brien announced today that the Master Settlement Agreement forms have been finalized and will be posted within the next week. Also, MERCK HAS AGREED THAT ALL DEADLINES UNDER THE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT ARE EXTENDED BY 30 DAYS. Therefore, the deadline to put Fosamax [ONJ] clients into the settlement does not arise until April 30, 2014. Stay tuned to this message board for further updates, as well as the settlement forms and disclosure documents which will be posted next week (week ending Friday, March 14^th). . . .

We will keep you posted, but Merck is getting a very fair bargain here, so no surprise that Whitehouse Station wants to draw in as many settling osteonecrosis of the jaw, or "jaw bone death" plaintiffs as it can.