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A testosterone therapy lawsuit seeking class action status has been filed in a Pennsylvania federal court claiming product liability against Watson, Actavis, and Pfizer. The Low T supplement class action has sought to represent all individuals subject to wrongful death or injuries following use of Depo-Testosterone injections and AndroDerm testosterone patches. Depo-Testosterone is made by Pharmacia & Upjohn, a Pfizer subsidiary, while AndroDerm is a product of Watson Pharmaceuticals. Recent reports linking Low-T supplements to serious heart attack and stroke risks have led to surge in testosterone lawsuits across the United States.
Filed in the Eastern District Court, the testosterone therapy lawsuit alleges that “pharmaceutical corporations involved in the manufacture, sale, distribution, marketing and promotion of testosterone replacement therapy products collectively engaged in aggressive direct-to-consumer, physician promotion, and unbranded ‘disease awareness’ campaign to alert men that they might be suffering from ‘Low T’ to create and expand a market for testosterone replacement therapy and as a result of this ‘disease mongering’…individuals diagnosed with Low T has increased exponentially.” The absence of any information on side effects encouraged the use of their products by consumers, who experienced heart problems later.
Lead plaintiff 39-year-old Walter McGill suffered myocardial infarction, commonly known as heart attack, within months of using Depo Testosterone and AndroDerm to overcome low-testosterone signs he noticed following promotional campaign. Non-disclosure of testosterone heart attack risks by drug makers led him to consider the products as safe until he suffered the heart attack.
Testosterone Therapy Heart Attack Risk
Low-T supplements, including AndroGel, Depo-Testosterone, Testim, and AndroDerm, have been approved as a treatment for hypogonadism, a medical condition resulting in very low testosterone production in men. However, marketing promotion and easy availability of these products have led to their use for lifestyle purposes, causing adverse cardiovascular events, such as
ü blood clotting
ü heart stroke
ü heart attack
ü metabolic disorders causing diabetes
ü cardiovascular death
Consumers using testosterone therapy face the risk of one-third increase in heart attack possibility, claim research findings based on the study of over 9,000 veterans. Reported in the JAMA journal of November 2013, the study warned of 29 percent rise in heart problems among people without any pre-existing cardiovascular disorder. According to the PLOSOne journal, the risk increases by two times and goes up with age. Both reports highlighted the possibility of death for people with existing heart ailments and blamed off-label promotion of the medications for most of the side effects.
Testosterone Lawsuits on the Rise
Research reports and the January 31st FDA decision to review testosterone heart attack risks have triggered a rush for litigations by men considered to have suffered from blood clots, strike, and heart attack within months of using testosterone enhancing drugs. About 100 testosterone therapy lawsuits claiming heart attack and similar incidents have been filed in the last six months. More than 50 of these are Androgel lawsuits filed against AbbVie, a unit of Abbot Laboratories.
A testosterone wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against Auxilium Pharmaceuticals claiming that its Testim gel-based supplement caused a 61-year-old Louisiana man to have a fatal heart attack. Actavis and Watson have been named defendant in a number of testosterone lawsuits filed over heart disorders in consumers linked to AndroDerm.
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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