Philadelphia personal injury lawyers inform patients of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s plans to re-examine the safety of AndroGel, a popular testosterone replacement drug prescribed to men. The decision to review the drug comes after two studies demonstrating that men using AndroGel are at a higher risk of heart attacks and strokes were published.
The first study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on November 5, 2013. The JAMA study suggested that men using prescription testosterone therapies had a 30 percent increased risk of death, stroke and heart attack when compared to men not using the products. The second study was published on January 29, 2014 in the journal PLoS One. That study examined the rate of heart attacks in 56,000 older and middle-aged men in the year prior to beginning testosterone therapy and in the three months after the man begin use of the therapy. It concluded that men ages 65 and older as well as middle-aged men with a history of heart disease had twice the rate of heart attacks in the months after starting testosterone therapy.
Personal Injury Lawyers Say Abbott Laboratories Hid Stroke, Heart Attack Risks Related to Use of AndroGel
Five men ranging in age from 50 to 63 filed lawsuits in federal court in Chicago earlier this month. According to lawsuits filed against the manufacturers of AndroGel, Abbott Laboratories and its subsidiary AbbVie Inc., the companies knowingly hid those health risks from its customers in their marketing. Of the five men, three say that they suffered heart attacks following their use of AndroGel, a fourth man said he had a stroke and the other claimant suffered a mini-stroke.
AndroGel was marketed by Abbott from 2010 through 2012. AndroGel and other testosterone replacement drugs, including Eli Lilly’s Axiron, were approved by the FDA to be prescribed to men with no or low testosterone levels along with another medical condition. Reports estimate that about 5.3 million men were prescribed testosterone therapy in 2011. By 2012, sales of testosterone products reached nearly $2 billion.
New Jersey and Philadelphia Personal Injury Lawyers
The Philadelphia personal injury lawyers at Messa & Associates are experienced at handling cases involving pharmaceutical and drug product injuries. Our extremely skilled team of personal injury lawyers and medical experts is dedicated to ensuring you receive proper compensation for your personal injuries. If you have suffered a heart attack, stroke or another injury as a result of the use of AndroGel, a defective pharmaceutical drug product, or any other type of personal injury, contact the personal injury lawyers of Messa & Associates for a free consultation. Call toll free at 1-877-MessaLaw, or submit a free online inquiry.
