Out of New Zealand comes reporting that four New Zealanders have suffered rotting jawbones after taking a bisphosphates medication prescribed to help prevent bone loss for patients suffering from osteoporosis and bone cancers. At least 15 Americans are suing Merck after developing breakdown of bone in the jaw due to taking Fosamax prescribed to strengthen bone and prevent bone loss.

According to the report, while the New Zealand patients were not taking the brand name drug, Fosamax, they were taking a similar version of the same drug. In total, about 2500 cases of rotting jaws have been reported. Merck is the same company who was forced to take Vioxx, an arthritis drug, off the market after a study showed it doubled the risk of heart attacks or strokes if patients took it for longer than 18 months. Perhaps we need to take a closer look into the medicine cabinet -- and start asking more questions -- before we rush to get a glass of water and down the newest approved pill. A new cancer drug is about to hit the market. Let's take a look.

In the knowledge that a picture is indeed worth a thousand words, New Zealand's Ministry of Health wants the health warning on cigarette packs to include large graphic photos of smokers with throat cancer or rotting teeth and gums.

According to the news report, Canada, Australia, Brazil and Thailand have already adopted graphic warnings and many other countries are also considering making the change. I live in the U.S. and I have never seen a pack of cigarettes with a graphic warning such as the one New Zealand is proposing, but I think that it might be more effective than mere wording. I went and searched images with throat cancer and the graphic photos that came up were -- well -- let's just say the damage cigarette smoking can do is not very pretty. I wonder why the U.S. hasn't adopted this same sort of warning campaign?