AndroGel Lawsuits: Did You Take Testosterone Drugs for Low-T?
Low-T is a manufactured condition. A man’s testosterone levels naturally decrease as he gets older causing symptoms such as fatigue, decreased sex drive, weight gain, and depression. The drug companies recognized a market and began an advertising campaign that attributed these very general symptoms to Low-T. They told men that they could fight aging and live a better life with a simple prescription from their doctor. No side-effects were mentioned.
Millions of prescriptions for testosterone drugs were filled earning billions of dollars for the drug companies. But, testosterone therapy was never approved for the treatment of age-related testosterone decline. And, then men who were otherwise healthy, began to suffer heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots (Click here for more information).
Thousands of Lawsuits are Filed Against Low-T Drug Companies
Multidistrict Litigation
Scientists investigated, and several studies were published linking testosterone drugs to heart attack, stroke and blood clots. As a result, approximately 2000 men have filed lawsuits against AbbVie and Abbot Laboratories. The men who filed the lawsuits say that they suffered serious cardiovascular injury while undergoing testosterone therapy for low-T.
These lawsuits are pending as a multi-district action in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois. This means that one judge will hear all the cases. Plaintiffs will be able to combine resources, such as expert witnesses and legal research.
Bellwether Hearing
The first cases will be tried in a bellwether hearing against AbbVie, the maker of AndroGel. A bellwether case allows plaintiffs and defendants to test their arguments on a small amount of cases while moving towards resolution of all the cases combined in a multi-district litigation. These individual cases are not binding on other cases, but can set a precedent.
Selection of cases for the bellwether trial will take place in August 2015.
Drug Companies Object
The drug companies aren’t happy. On July 6, AbbVie filed a motion asking that 169 cases to be dismissed with prejudice. According to AbbVie, these plaintiffs either have missing information on their fact sheets or have not provided AbbVie with permission to collect additional medical records. AbbVie is asking the court to dismiss these Low-T cases if the missing information is not provided by August 14.
This isn’t fair, but the drug companies don’t care. They would like to use medical records to find weaknesses in the AndroGel injury claims instead of a way of exchanging relevant evidence.
You Can Fight the Big Drug Companies
The drug companies made billions of dollars while putting millions of lives at risk. They will use every trick available to hold on to those billions. If you suffered a heart attack, stroke or blood clot after using prescription testosterone products, an attorney may be able to work with you to fight back against drug company greed.
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