Trantolo & Trantolo Advising Connecticut Claimants on Recent AndroGel Mass Tort Lawsuit
Hartford, CT (PRWEB) March 26, 2014 -- Advertisements claimed men with symptoms ranging from low libido to tiredness suffered from low testosterone. Doctors prescribed testosterone therapy supplements to treat this condition, but with a study published in the November 2013 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1764051) showing a correlation between these drugs and increased risk for strokes and heart attacks, the FDA started an investigation in January 2014 and a class action lawsuit (Gibby et al v. AbbVie Inc. et al, Case: 1:14-cv-00917, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Judge Thomas M. Durkin), against the makers of AndroGel, AbbVie and Abbott Laboratories, began on February 4, 2014. With AndroGel under scrutiny, Connecticut law firm Trantolo & Trantolo has been providing guidance concerning the federal-level claim and for mass tort cases involving other low testosterone products.
The FDA approved testosterone supplements in 2000 for the treatment of men with a low testosterone diagnosis, but the study’s results in the Journal of the American Medical Association article linked AndroGel and similar products to death. Researchers studied 3,000 men 60 years of age on average, with such conditions as high blood pressure, poor cholesterol, and diabetes but without clogged arteries, and came to the conclusion that those taking testosterone supplements are 30 percent more likely to have a heart attack or stroke episode over a three-year period when compared to men with low testosterone not taking supplements.
The latest class action lawsuit, which consisted of five claims filed in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, alleges Abbott Laboratories and AbbVie misled patients and doctors by claiming AndroGel effectively treats hypogonadism. Court documents further show the plaintiff accuses the defendant of “disease mongering” – in this case, linking natural aging systems to low testosterone – to increase profits.
The lawsuit additionally alleges Abbott and AbbVie’s sales increased to $1.37 billion per year because of false advertising and led men to being prescribed AndroGel without adequate testing. Instead, court documents show, the “Is It Low T?” quiz had been used instead and that safer alternatives to treating these symptoms were available.
Trantolo & Trantolo, a Hartford-area law firm with history stretching back to 1938, has long represented plaintiffs in mass tort and class action lawsuits, including those concerning false advertisements, dangerous drugs, and defective products. As several other testosterone patches, pills, creams, and injections remain on the market and are not part of the current class action lawsuit, Trantolo & Trantolo has been advising and guiding potential claimants who experienced similar cardiovascular symptoms.
Connecticut residents prescribed AndroGel for low testosterone may have experienced harmful side effects. The Connecticut personal injury law firm of Trantolo and Trantolo can advice potential plaintiffs about how to become part of this national-scale claim
Aside from mass tort, dangerous drugs, and product liability claims, Trantolo & Trantolo’s attorneys assist with several types of personal injury cases, including medical malpractice, nursing home negligence, car, truck, and motorcycle accidents, medication errors, wrongful death, and social security disability.
Norm LeBlanc, Trantolo & Trantolo, http://www.trantololaw.com/, (860) 522-9248, [email protected]
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