Testosterone Drugs Cause Heart Attacks, Strokes, and Blood Clots, New Lawsuits Claim
St. Louis, MO (PRWEB) March 10, 2014 -- According to five lawsuits recently filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the Testosterone replacement drug, AndroGel, is allegedly linked to causing serious medical problems, including life threatening heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots. The cases are Aurecchia v. AbbVie, Case No. 14-cv-00772; Benn v. AbbVie, Case No. 14-cv-00774; Gallagher v. AbbVie Inc., Case No. 14-cv-00776; Marino v. AbbVie, Case No. 14-cv-00777; Myers v. AbbVie, Case No. 14-cv-00780.
AndroGel is a prescription drug manufactured by AbbVie Inc. and Abbott Laboratories. AndroGel has been heavily marketed to consumers and prescribers from 2010-2012 and the lawsuits allege “disease mongering” by engaging in “aggressive, award-winning direct-to-consumer and physician marketing and advertising campaigns” to alert men that they might be suffering from low testosterone. According to the allegations in the lawsuits, symptoms of low testosterone include being “sad or grumpy,” “experiencing deterioration in the ability to play sports,” and “falling asleep after dinner”, and though the most prevalent cause of these symptoms is the natural aging process, diagnoses of “Low T” have skyrocketed. This is consistent with the findings of a study published in March 2014 by the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, which suggested that many men prescribed testosterone therapy have normal testosterone levels and do not meet treatment guidelines.
The five men bringing the lawsuits at issue were prescribed AndroGel for these types of symptoms, and now allege that AbbVie and Abbott concealed the known risks that the drug had a “serious propensity” to cause severe harm. According to the lawsuits, one man suffered a stroke caused by AndroGel, another experienced a mini-stroke, and three others suffered heart attacks.
New research suggests that testosterone replacement drugs such as AndroGel may increase the risk of heart attack, stroke and death. In November 2013, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study finding that patients who underwent a coronary angiography, which is a procedure that uses X-ray imaging to view the heart’s arteries, were 29% more likely to suffer such medical problems if they were prescribed testosterone therapy.
Further, the FDA issued a Safety Announcement on January 31, 2014, announcing that it will investigate the risk of stroke, heart attack, and death in men taking FDA-approved testosterone products.
About Schlichter, Bogard & Denton LLP
The Pharmaceutical Litigation Department at Schlichter, Bogard & Denton, LLP represents clients nationwide who have suffered serious and fatal injuries as a result of dangerous pharmaceutical medications. At Schlichter, Bogard & Denton, LLP, we are committed to protecting the rights of persons injured by pharmaceutical companies.
The attorneys at Schlichter, Bogard & Denton, LLP are offering a free case review with no further obligation to those who allege to have suffered injuries after using testosterone therapy. If you believe you suffered injuries after using testosterone therapy, please contact the attorneys at Schlichter, Bogard & Denton, LLP toll-free at 1-800-873-5297 for your confidential and free consultation.
The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely on advertisements. The cases discussed do not predict outcomes in future cases. Past results afford no guarantee of future results and every case is different and must be judged on its own merits.
Kristine Kraft, Schlichter, Bogard & Denton, LLP, http://www.druginjuryinformation.com, +1 (314) 621-6115, [email protected]
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