Posted: June 22, 2015
Attorneys at Eisbrouch Marsh have been concerned for some time about the serious side effects, mostly heart attacks and strokes, suffered by some men who have received testosterone therapy.
Many clients have come to us about filing a low T drug injury lawsuit over these undisclosed health risks. It is even more troubling, as a recent Washington Post editorial details, that the condition that the testosterone therapy supposedly treats (according to an award-winning advertising campaign) is largely manufactured.
In 2007, Abbott Laboratories (now AbbVie) began its “Is It Low-T?” disease awareness campaign that encouraged men to speak to their doctors about a condition known as “low-T” (testosterone). The campaign pointed to symptoms such as lack of energy, low libido, weight gain, loss of muscle tone, moodiness, or sleepiness after meals as possibly indicative of such a condition and instructed men to inquire about testosterone therapy to treat this condition.
There were two major problems with this campaign. First, it is not clear that the symptoms named are actually representative of a treatable condition so much as the signs of normal aging for many men; thus, the condition is, at least in part, fabricated.
Second, the FDA approved testosterone therapy to treat specific (and much rarer) conditions involving low testosterone in men and boys (hypogonadism), such as problems related to chemotherapy, undescended testes, genetic, or other problems. As the editorial points out, such conditions are treated routinely without the need for an “awareness campaign.”
Why do men file a low T drug injury lawsuit?
Not only is testosterone therapy for “low-T” unnecessary in the case of normal aging, but it may also be dangerous. Recent studies have demonstrated the strong possibility that the use of such therapy in certain cases may lead to a higher rate of potentially fatal heart problems. For instance, a recent study in the journal PLoS One uncovered a link between testosterone replacement therapy and heart attacks in men over 65 and men under 65 with previous heart problems.
The study, published in January of 2014, prompted calls for warning labels on testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) products. In May, manufacturers of TRT products issued new instructions to comply with FDA rules stating clearly that TRT is not approved for “low-T” treatment and that doctors must warn men about the heightened risk of heart attack and stroke. In the months following the publications of TRT heart attack and stroke studies, many men or their families began to file testosterone lawsuits against the makers of Low T products.
Testosterone therapy attorneys now reviewing cases
The misleading marketing campaigns surrounding TRT and the risks that men have been encouraged to take to treat a dubiously presented “condition” are examples of pharmaceutical companies’ disregard for public safety in the interest of profit, say critics. At Eisbrouch Marsh, our product liability lawyers are now reviewing cases for those who have suffered adverse testosterone side effects.
Low T lawsuits are designed to procure compensation for the losses and injuries suffered by such victims, including the costs of medical treatment, lost wages or earning potential, or wrongful death-related costs. If you or someone you love has suffered a heart attack, stroke or other injury in connection to TRT products, please contact our offices at 201-342-5545 to set up a confidential and complimentary meeting with one of our lawyers to discuss your options for recourse.
Resources
- Washington Post, Sell a Disease to Sell a Drug http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-bulked-up-campaign-around-low-testosterone/2015/06/07/a9abda16-0573-11e5-8bda-c7b4e9a8f7ac_story.html
- NPR, Popular Testosterone Therapy May Raise Risk Of Heart Attack http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/01/29/268427675/popular-testosterone-therapy-may-raise-risk-of-
- PLOS One, Increased Risk of Non-Fatal Myocardial Infarction Following Testosterone Therapy Prescription in Men http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0085805
- JAMA Report, Testosterone Therapy Following Coronary Angiography Associated With Increased Risk Of Adverse Outcomes http://media.jamanetwork.com/news-item/testosterone-therapy-following-coronary-angiography-associated-increased-risk-adverse-outcomes/
