Testosterone therapy drugs have proven to be huge moneymakers, going from a niche treatment to one expected to be worth $5 billion in 2017, according to Bloomberg.
Drugs like AndroGel, Axiron, and Androderm were marketed on ESPN and in men’s magazines. Websites were built to tout the drug which were funded by the drug makers themselves. They even coined a catchphrase for it – “low T.”
Then came a pair of studies in late 2013 and early 2014 that linked testosterone replacement therapy with heart attacks and other potentially fatal complications. These studies caused a ripple and sparked an investigation from the Food and Drug Administration, which concluded in March 2015 that the drugs were linked to a risk of stroke and heart attack.
Some men who suffered heart attacks and other cardiac problems while taking testosterone therapy drugs have taken legal action against the drug maker by filing lawsuits. If this has happened to you, you should do the same.
Many of the billions of dollars made from the sale of these drugs has been made at the expense of men who did not medically need the products, and who may not have been informed of its cardiac risks. Simply put: you may have been sold a drug you didn’t need that led to side effects no one would ever want.
The testosterone lawsuits that have been filed allege that the companies did not adequately warn men of the risks they were subjecting themselves to by taking the medication.
Would you have chosen to take it if you knew it could double or even triple your risk of a heart attack?
It’s not acceptable, and the best way to send that message is to hire an attorney and file a lawsuit against the company that made the drug that harmed you.
Contact an attorney at Pierce Skrabanek today for a free consultation to discuss your case and find out what we can do for you.
As men reach the age of 30, their testosterone levels naturally begin to decline. There is nothing unnatural about this, but the symptoms can be unpleasant, such as:
It’s not uncommon for these changes to leave a man feeling less masculine than he once felt, and they are drawn to low T products that are marketed as a solution. Low T has gone from what was previously a rare treatment for men suffering legitimate hormonal deficiencies to a “lifestyle drug.”
In the FDA’s March 2015 safety alert, the agency said what respected groups like the Mayo Clinic have long said: that testosterone therapy should be reserved for me whose low testosterone levels are due to a genuine medical condition, like hypogonadism.
The alert read, in part:
“The benefit and safety of these medications have not been established for the treatment of low testosterone levels due to aging…”
In January 2014, a pair of studies were released that made headlines by linking testosterone replacement therapy to heart attacks and other cardiac complications.
The first appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association in November 2013. It studied men with an average of age of 60 who were all undergoing coronary angiography to analyze their hearts.
It linked testosterone treatment to increased risks of:
The second study came in January 2014. Appearing in PLOS One, the study included nearly 56,000 men. It found that testosterone replacement therapy:
A Mayo Clinic cardiologist told USA Today that these risk factors are “equivalent to smoking one or two packs of cigarettes a day, or having sky-high cholesterol.”
That’s a high price to pay for a lifestyle drug.
These studies led the FDA to issue a warning in January 2014 alerting the public about the studies. The agency launched an investigation that reaffirmed the link to cardiac danger.
In March 2015, the FDA ordered that manufacturers re-label the drugs to make it clear they are intended to treat low testosterone brought on by certain medical conditions, not ordinary aging.
While many over-the-counter products use the word “testosterone,” real testosterone therapy is a prescription-only treatment. It is commonly done by applying cream to the skin, though it can also be done with a skin patch or an injection.
The biggest seller on the testosterone therapy market is AndroGel, which is a spray gel applied to the shoulder. AndroGel was very aggressively marketed by its manufacturer, AbbVie.
Other popular brands include Axiron, a gel applied to the armpit, and AndroDerm, a skin patch that delivers testosterone.
Other brands include:
Testosterone therapy is also linked to other side effects. They include:
Read what our past clients have to say about our legal services.
Heart attack and stroke are not minor side effects. If you or a loved one suffered one of these conditions after taking a low T drug, you were subjected to a medical emergency that carries a high risk of death.
The attorneys at Pierce Skrabanek are experienced pharmaceutical drug lawyers. We know what it takes to build a strong case against huge drug companies. We can seek compensation for:
If a heart attack or stroke has claimed the life of a loved one, we can seek funeral expenses, loss of income and other compensation for your family in this tough time. We always seek the maximum amount of compensation possible under the law.
There is never any cost or obligation for a case evaluation from an experienced attorney at our firm. We will review your case and let you know what we can do to help. Call us at 832-690-7000 or email us to schedule your free case evaluation.