Low T drug manufacturers create demand, hide side effects

Are AndroGel and other low testosterone drugs worth the risk of heart attack? Last year, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published an article linking AndroGel with testosterone death as well as other serious side affects. The study found that who used the drug were found to be 30% more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke or die within a three-year period than men with low hormone levels who did not take the supplements.

Several lawsuits have since been filed against the manufacturers AbbVie Inc., and Abbott Laboratories, Inc., claiming the actual risk of serious side effects associated with the drug were not disclosed and were concealed by the manufacturers. The company must face lawsuits consolidated in federal court in Chicago because Abbot and AbbVie, a company that Abbott spun off last year, are both based there and there are already a significant number of AndroGel suits pending before U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly in Chicago as well. According to Bloomberg News, the decision to collect the AndroGel cases before Kennelly comes after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it would re-examine the safety of testosterone-replacement drugs.

One of the most-used medical products to treat Low T is AndroGel. Made and heavily marketed in the United Sates, AndroGel is prescribed as a testosterone-replacement drug, mostly to men whose bodies fail to produce sufficient amounts of the male hormone.

Abbott and AbbVie have been accused of starting an $80 million marketing campaign in 2012 to promote AndroGel to men for a condition called Low T. Television and other ads encouraged men complaining of low energy and lack of sexual drive to take the testosterone-boosting medicine, according to plaintiffs.

The market for testosterone replacement therapy drugs, which include AndroGel and Axiron, made by Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly and Co., is worth $1.6 billion annually.

According to the study published in JAMA, by 2011 nearly one in 25 men in their 60s took testosterone. Doctors blame the rampant advertising.

In a safety announcement released early this year, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), made clear that none of the FDA-approved testosterone products were approved for use in men with low testosterone levels who lack and associated medical condition. This is contrary to the many advertisements running for AndroGel and other Low T drugs.

Many of the lawsuits already filed against the drug maker are by men who suffered strokes, heart attacks, and blood clots after using the drug.

If you or someone you know has suffered harm due to taking “low T” or other prescriptions drugs, contact Marion Munley and the Pennsylvania personal injury lawyers at Munley Law Personal Injury Attorneys at 855-866-5529.