Dallas Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Blog
As a Dallas Texas Defective Drug attorney, I have written extensively about the side effects of many commonly used drugs. More recently attention as been directed at PROPECIA.
What is Propecia?
Propecia (finasteride) is a prescription medication that is marketed to help restore natural hair loss that occurs in some men. However, side effects of Propecia have been linked to sexual problems for some users, including reports of erectile dysfunction, decreased libido, genital shrinkage and problems with cognition. These issues have also been linked to severe depression and at least one man has reportedly committed suicide due to the Propecia problems.
Here is a NBC News article that aired this week.
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Propecia Background
Marketed and manufactured by Merck, Propecia is male pattern baldness drug that works by significantly blocking the action and production of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a key hormone that plays a role and is a cause of scalp hair loss. The so called “male pattern baldness.”
Reducing the action of DHT appears to prevent the shrinking of susceptible hair follicles. Propecia was approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 1997 for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and male pattern baldness (MPB).
Propecia Warning Label Updated
In April 2012, the FDA announced that Merck had agreed to update the Propecia warning label in the United States to indicate that sexual side effects caused by the medication may be permanent, continuing even after the drug is no longer used.
Merck updated the warning label in several other countries several years ago to include reports that some men suffered persistent sexual side effects after the medication was discontinued.
Propecia Lawsuits
The Federal Propecia litigation has been centralized in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Federal consolidation was appropiate based on Merck’s decision to update Propecia’s warning label to include new information about the risk of persistent sexual side effects.
All of the claims involve similar allegations that Merck failed to adequately warn the public that Propecia could cause serious and potentially-irreversible sexual complications.
Information and commentary provided by Dallas Fort Worth Personal Injury Attorney Dr Shezad Malik. The Dr Shezad Malik Law Firm can be contacted in Dallas toll free at 214-390-3189. If you or a loved one has been injured from PROPECIA, please fill out our contact card for a free consultation.