Low-T Drug Lawsuits Grow in Number

Chicago, Illinois—More than 150 lawsuits already have been filed against manufacturers of low testosterone therapy drugs in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.  This is the court in which low-T drug litigation has been consolidated into what is called "multidistrict litigation (MDL)" in the federal court system.

The lawsuits allege that manufacturers of testosterone therapy drugs failed to warn physicians and patients of the risks of serious cardiovascular problems associated with them.

In January 2014, the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its investigation of health risks associated with low testosterone therapy drugs.  Earlier  studies revealed that these medications were associated with an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and pulmonary embolisms in some men.

In July, the FDA announced that it will hold a joint meeting of its Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee and its Reproductive and Urologic Drugs Advisory Committee on September 17, 2014 for the purpose of developing recommendations regarding cardiovascular side effects associated with low-T prescription medications.  These drugs include brands AndroGel, AndroDerm, Axiron, Bio-T-Gel, Delatestryl, Depo-Testosterone, Fortesta, Striant, Testim, Testopel.

The Committees also are expected to consider guidelines for use in determining whether men should use low testosterone therapy medications.