Dallas Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Blog
David Lyon from Texas recently filed a product liability personal injury lawsuit against the makers of Androgel. Lyon alleges that testosterone gel side effects caused a myocardial infarction or heart attack and that the manufacturer mislead consumers that the drug was safe.
Testosterone Androgel Lawsuit
Lyon filed his lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on June 2. Lyon claims that AbbVie, Inc. and Abbott Laboratories withheld important information from patients and doctors about the risk of heart attacks and other blood clot injuries from Androgel use.
According to Lyon, he was prescribed Androgel in January 2005, for low testosterone symptoms. He claims that he had no prior history of cardiac problems until he suffered a significant myocardial infarction from Androgel in November 2005.
Hundreds of Testosterone Lawsuits Filed
Many Androgel lawsuits have been filed by men nationwide who have suffered heart attacks, strokes, blood clots including life-threatening pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis injuries that were allegedly caused by the popular testosterone gel.
Plaintiff Claims Fraud
Lyon accuses AbbVie of duping men with a manufactured disease that they called “Low-T.” As men age, the side effects of aging, like fatigue and lowered libido and reduced testosterone levels are common place. Testosterone supplements are only indicated for a medical condition known as hypogonadism, which causes abnormally low testosterone levels.
Lyon is pursuing claims for failure to warn, breach of warranty, negligence, fraud, negligent misrepresentation, and seeks compensatory and punitive damages.
Testosterone Litigation
Many testosterone lawsuits have been filed in recent months against AbbVie and makers of other similar drugs, after a series of studies revealed the link between testosterone and cardiovascular risks.
In November 2013, a study published in JAMA demonstrated that side effects of low T drugs may increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and death among older men with certain pre-existing heart problems.
A study published in the medical journal PLOSOne in January 2014, found that low T treatments may double the risk of heart attack for younger men with heart disease and men over the age of 65, regardless of their prior heart conditions.
FDA Warning and Investigation
The FDA launched a safety review of all testosterone replacement therapy on January 31. Most of the lawsuits filed to date have involved injuries associated with the use of AndroGel, which is a testosterone gel spray manufactured and sold by AbbVie.
Other cases are being filed by men who suffered BLOOD CLOT injuries following use Axiron and other testosterone products, including Testim, Foresta, AndroDerm and others.
Testosterone Multidistrict Litigation, MDL
In May a motion was filed for all testosterone drug lawsuits to be centralized as part of one consolidated proceeding during pretrial litigation. Known as multidistrict litigation or MDL, this process reduces duplicative discovery and avoids conflicting rulings from different judges.
The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML), which oversees MDL consolidations, heard oral arguments over the AndroGel consolidation motion on May 29. It is expected to issue a ruling in the near future.