testosterone injury – Memphis Trial Attorneys

June 25, 2014

Testosterone Lawsuit: A Brief Review of Low-T Side Effects, Litigation

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The Testosterone therapy supplement market has expanded 600 percent in the last one decade and recorded over $2 billion in annual sales due to its wide popularity among men to reinforce their lifestyle. However, the recent spurt in AndoGel lawsuits and researchers suggesting fatal cardiac risks in users have led to a growth in demand for regulating of testosterone enhancing drugs. While the aggressive, direct-to-consumers marketing practices by Low-T supplement makers face severe criticism, the use of these medications for lifestyle enhancement threatens to grow into a major public health issue.

Testosterone Therapy: The Medical Use and Abuse

Testosterone hormone helps maintain muscle vigor, bone health, and high level of energy in men. Acting like a steroid, the hormone is also primarily responsible for maintaining sexual drive and sperm level in males. Usually, the production of testosterone diminishes in the 30s or when one is diagnosed with hypogonadism, a medical condition that inhibits production of the hormone by sex glands. A large number of medications, called Low-T supplements, are available in the market in the form of gels, patches, and injections to overcome diminished testosterone levels.

Testosterone therapy or use of these supplements is suggested only when one is diagnosed with hypogonadism, not age-related decline in the hormone level. However, about two-thirds of users resort to Low-T therapy to reinforce their health, sex drive, body muscles, and lifestyle. Such abuse of testosterone supplements put them at the risk of adverse health events, including heart attack and death.

Research Studies on Testosterone Therapy Side Effects

In November 2013, research findings reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association warned of 29 percent increase in the risk of heart attack due to testosterone therapy. The report claimed widespread abuse of Low-T supplements by users unaware of side effects.
According to JAMA report published in July 2013, misleading marketing by drug makers “designed to convince men that they suffered from low testosterone” has resulted in rampant abuse of Low-T drugs. Entitled “Low ‘T’: How to Sell Disease,” the report criticized drug makers to promote testosterone therapy with adequate medical examination.
A 2013 NYT report published a research report dating back to 2000 to link testosterone therapy to five-fold increase in heart attack threat. The newspaper also questioned the motive of drug makers, claiming that they suppressed the findings until 2010 and did not alert consumers.
The PLOSOne journal published a much wider study in January 2014 claiming that Low-T supplements could result in 36 percent increase in heart disorder risks, including stroke and death.

Testosterone Therapy Side Effects

Wrongful death caused by fatal side effects
Enhanced risk of stroke and heart attack
Blood Clots leading to polycythemia and deep vein thrombosis
Pulmonary embolism or blockage of blood supply to lungs
Diabetes and increased cholesterol level
Increased risk of prostate cancer
Kidney and liver problems in people with preexisting disorders

FDA Warning on Testosterone Therapy Side Effects

In January 2014, the FDA ordered a comprehensive review of testosterone therapy side effects after receiving over 100 reports of adverse cardiac events linked to these supplements. AndroGel, the best-selling Low-T supplement, was indicted for 12 deaths and 60 other instances of users suffering from heart attacks. Under pressure from consumer watchdog Public Citizen and mounting testosterone heart attack lawsuits, the federal regulator mandated label warnings on Low-T drugs highlighting the hazard of fatal blood clots on June 19, 2014. The new warning alerts users about the heightened threat of pulmonary embolism, a life-threatening medical condition caused by blood clots.

Testosterone Lawsuits

A number of testosterone lawsuits, including over three-dozen AndroGel lawsuits, are centralized in an Illinois Northern District Court. Many more are expected to join, with media reports and research studies suggesting potential risk of heart disorders caused by Low-T supplements and deceptive practices aimed promoting these products. On May 15, 2014, three petitioners approached the Central District Court of California seeking a class action lawsuit representing all consumers who used testosterone booster herbal supplements. According to plaintiffs, there is no clinical study to back the claim of manufacturers that Testofen, the main ingredient in Low-T herbal supplements, enhances testosterone level.

If you or a loved one have experienced a testosterone replacement therapy injury after undergoing low testosterone therapy, please contact our team of lawyers today for a free case evaluation at:

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February 7, 2014

New Concern Raised About Testosterone and Heart Risks

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New York Times Issues Report on Testosterone Related Injuries

The New York Times published a story on January 29, 2014 on New Concerns About Testisterone and Heart Risks (by Anahad O’Connor). As a team of attorneys that are investigating the injuries that we believe Testosterone therapy creates in men, we believe the article is a well written informational source on the troubles behind testosterone.

O’Connor’s article discusses two studies in particular that discuss Low T injuries, including one study in the journal PLoS ONE (funded by the National Institute of Health) and a second article published in November 2013 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. I previously blogged about the JAMA article on the MidSouthTrialLawyer blog, which you can read by clicking HERE. The same post includes a video by Dr. Michael Ho explaining the testosterone may cause a 29% increased risk in cardiovascular injuries.

The New York Times quotes Dr. Michael Lauer, who is the Director of Cardiovascular Sciences at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Lauer tellingly foreshadows that “When you put this [recent study] together with the rest of the medical literature, this tells us that we potentially have a problem.”

The NY Times continued but explaining that the two studies reelect men 65 and older may have up to double the rate of heart attacks in the months after starting testosterone therapy (also known as Low T therapy). Much of this increased risk comes from the increased production of red blood cells caused by testosterone replacement therapy (or TRT). One’s increased red blood cell can easily be linked to coagulation of the blood, essentially making one’s blood thicker, an especially hazardous condition for aging men with already thinker blood vessels. As one professor of public health noted at Hunter College, “There is a potential for harm, and people should know about this.”

We agree that people should know and are therefore providing a free case evaluation to anyone injured by testosterone replacement therapy.

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February 6, 2014

Testosterone Therapy Increases Odds of Stroke by Thirty Percent (30%)

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Wrong Low T Therapy Treatment Widespread, Users at 30 Percent Higher Risk of Heart Attack

Two recent studies have highlighted that the use of inappropriate testosterone therapy among U.S. men puts them at a greater risk of cardiovascular diseases, including heart attack. According to the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, while the number of testosterone therapy users has registered a five-fold rise in the United States, only a small percentage of them adhere to appropriate testing and user guidelines. Published in January 2014, the report highlights that a vast majority of them are receiving the Low T supplements without any test or even after have been tested with normal testosterone levels.

Researchers hold that aggressive and direct-to-consumer marketing by manufacturers of testosterone supplements, such as AndroGel, Androderm, Testim, and others, was responsible for large-scale inappropriate use by men. Advertisements focus on encouraging men to go for Low T medications to increase their muscles, sexual ability, and energy level. Hypogonadism or testosterone deficiency, for which the supplements are available, is no more a condition for the treatment.

The study found that the abuse was more prevalent in the United States despite a severe risk of testosterone therapy cardiovascular side effects. The enthusiasm to increase libido and strength pushes them to “initiate the testosterone therapy at normal levels and many even initiate it without recent testing,” researchers claim.

30 Percent Increase in Fatal Heart Attack Risk

Testosterone therapy may cause serious and fatal cardiovascular side effects. The testosterone therapy heart attack risk leading to stroke and death is as high as 30 percent when compared to those not using Low T supplements, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported in November 2013. Based on a study of ex-servicemen registered with the Eastern Colorado Health Care System, it found nearly 30 percent greater risk of serious and fatal heart problems linked to testosterone therapy. We expect that scientists will continue to link Low T therapy with cardiovascular injuries.

According to the JAMA report, Low T supplements play a role in increasing cardiovascular disorders risk of heart attack, stroke, and death. Of 8,700 men with low level of testosterone and coronary angiography studied, 1,223 received supplements to boost their testosterone production. Doctors discovered that 26 percent of those treated with the Low T supplements had suffered a stroke or heart attack, with a few deaths, within three years. The rate of same events among the non-testosterone group was less than 20 percent. It was found that those treated with testosterone therapy faced a higher risk of cardiovascular disorder despite being younger and with very few health disorders.

FDA Advises Against “Age-Related” Testosterone Therapy Solution

According to the FDA guidelines, men should not use testosterone therapy to prevent normal reduction in hormone production with age. Low T solutions are only for those suffering from hypogonadism, a medical conditions that results in testosterone deficiency. The Endocrine Society has also advised against use of testosterone supplements without proper clinical diagnosis and abnormal reduction in testosterone levels. The fatal side effects of Low T supplements play a crucial role in the publication of such suggestions. We recommend you, of course, consult with your doctor about whether to undergo a Low T program.

However, contrary to all these warnings, manufacturers continue to promote the Low T supplements through direct-to-consumer ads, a key factor in men using testosterone therapy on their own and facing fatal side effects.

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