Lawsuit Information Center
All product liability lawsuits involving injuries associated with the use of any testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) will now be centralized in the Northern District of Illinois before Judge Matthew F. Kennelly.
A panel of federal judges has ordered the lawsuits to be centralized as part of an MDL, or multidistrict litigation, in order to reduce the risk of duplicative discovery, avoid conflicting rulings from different judges, and to serve the convenience of parties, witnesses and the courts. The ruling currently affects approximately 45 lawsuits, however, any future cases filed will be transferred to the MDL. Plaintiffs are suggesting that the total number of cases will be in the thousands. So many people have taken this stuff and suffered and injury or died and they (or their survivors) don’t even know that this may have been the cause of the injury/death.
Is it a class action? For all practical purposes, it is a class action for discovery and, hopefully, settlement. The cases are consolidated as the plaintiffs’ attorneys get information that can be applied to all cases. At this point, both parties should understand the strengths and weaknesses of the case and be able to make a reasonable settlement offer.
What’s all the fuss about?
According to the research men with signs of heart problems such as high cholesterol, plaque buildup, and artery blockage are at risk of being 30% more likely to suffer from a heart attack, stroke, or even die while undergoing Low-T Treatment. Also affected are young men with pre-existing heart disease. The problem is that everyone and their brother who is over 40 was taking this stuff and there were no warnings to let people know the risk they were taking. That is lack of notice is the crux of these lawsuits. Why didn’t they provide a warning? Good question. A warning tells people they might not want to take this product if they really don’t need it. Now, what percentage of people do you think really needed to take this stuff? I’m suggesting to you that the vast majority took testosterone replacement therapy just because they wanted a little boost of youth. Who wouldn’t? I’m sure I would have tried it if I had ever gotten around to it. But if you know of the risk, are you really going to want that boost? So if you tell men, this stuff might kill you, sales would have plummeted (which is exactly what we are seeing now that the cat is out of the bag). Lost profits equal lost money equal careers that don’t jump top floor… it is not hard to see what happened here.
Who’s involved and what’s being claimed?
The low T drug lawsuits are primarily filed against makers of AndroGel, the most widely used testosterone treatment, but also involve claims against Axiron, Testim, Foresta, AndroDerm, and Depo-Testosterone. All suits involve common allegations that the medications caused plaintiffs to suffer heart attacks, strokes, blood clots, and other cardiovascular injuries.
Various options on how to manage the mounting low T drug lawsuits were proposed to the panel of judges who ultimately ordered the MDL. While some plaintiffs and many defendants wanted all the testosterone cases to be centralized as part of one proceeding, others called for only AndroGel lawsuits to be included in the class action MDL.
Who’s involved and what’s being claimed?
The low T drug lawsuits are primarily filed against makers of AndroGel, the most widely used testosterone treatment, but also involve claims against Axiron, Testim, Foresta, AndroDerm, and Depo-Testosterone. All suits involve common allegations that the medications caused plaintiffs to suffer heart attacks, strokes, blood clots, and other cardiovascular injuries. There are many claims, but the gist of it is what we already talked about above: the failure to warn people that this stuff could cause serious injury or death.
Various options on how to manage the mounting low T drug lawsuits were proposed to the panel of judges who ultimately ordered the MDL. While some plaintiffs and many defendants wanted all the testosterone cases to be centralized as part of one proceeding, others called for only AndroGel lawsuits to be included in the MDL. Reality is that a number of plaintiffs have used more than one testosterone replacement therapy. The panel, while admittedly hesitant to centralize litigation on an industry-wide basis, thought it was the best solution in this matter.
Contact us
Our attorneys are now reviewing potential lawsuits against these companies, alleging that they knew that the risks greatly outweighed the benefits for many patients and that they failed to adequately warn doctors and patients of the potential risks. If you believe you or a loved one has been adversely affected the use of a low testosterone drug, contact our attorneys at 800.553.8082 or online here.
- Heart Risks Associated with Testosterone Replacement Drugs
- New Warnings Associated With Low Testosterone Therapy