A testosterone product lawsuit filed by an Alabama man alleges the low-T drug Axiron caused blood clot-related heart problems.

Plaintiff Randy Wood alleges he suffered a stroke in 2012 after taking Axiron. According to his testosterone product lawsuit, Wood will face an elevated risk of stroke and premature death for the rest of his life, in addition to hospital bills and lost wages associated with his stroke.

Wood’s testosterone product lawsuit has joined others in a type of coordinated legal action called an MDL, or multidistrict litigation. MDLs group together similar lawsuits to streamline the legal process.

Testosterone product lawsuits like Wood’s have alleged that these drugs can promote dangerous blood clot-related medical problems. Allegedly, some of the earliest research on testosterone products like Axiron may increase hematocrit levels in the blood. Changing this element of blood chemistry essentially thickens blood, and makes it easier for blood to clot.

Under normal conditions, blood clotting is a normal part of the healing process after injury. But when the process misfires, a blood clot can form within the blood vessels, blocking them. This can starve critical tissues and organs of oxygen and nutrients. Depending on where in the circulatory system such a blood clot lodges, it could cause a stroke, heart attack, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and other medical emergencies.

Subsequent post-market surveillance and epidemiological studies have indicated that these concerns might be more than theoretical, with increased risks of blood clot related problems reported among users of low-T drugs. A research study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that the risk of death, heart attack, and stroke increased by 30 percent in patients taking low-T drugs like Axiron.

Testosterone product lawsuits allege that the makers of low-T drugs like Axiron were aware of these risks, but aggressively marketed low-T drugs in spite of this awareness. Allegedly, intensive direct-to-consumer advertisements have led to many men taking these drugs without even having their testosterone levels tested. A different JAMA report found that as many as one quarter of men taking low-T drugs never had their testosterone levels tested.

The Testosterone Product Lawsuit is Randy Wood v. Eli Lilly & Company, et al., Case No. 7475, within the larger testosterone products MDL In Re: Testosterone Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 1748, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.