Testosterone treatment therapies, also known as “low-T treatments,” are prescribed to adult males who are living with testosterone deficiencies. While some men experience low testosterone levels for medical reasons, other men may lack an adequate amount of testosterone due to the natural aging process.

Most testosterone treatments are designed to help men struggling with conditions resulting from low testosterone levels. However, several testosterone treatment therapies, like AndroGel, have allegedly caused serious side effects, prompting men to file testosterone product lawsuits against the manufacturers of testosterone products.

What is AndroGel?

AndroGel, a spray gel applied to the shoulder or upper arms, is one of the most widely used testosterone products. Since it was first introduced in 2000, it has been aggressively marketed by AbbVie (Abbott Laboratories) in direct-to-consumer advertisements for treatment of “low-T.”

Abbott seized on the fact that testosterone, which is produced naturally in the body and powers a male’s sex drive and general sense of physical strength and well-being, naturally dips about 1 percent per year sometime after males hit their 30s. The telltale symptoms of decreased testosterone levels, also termed hypogonadism, include lower sperm counts, lack of vitality and muscle strength, and weight gain. The FDA approved testosterone replacement therapy drugs such as AndroGel to counter these symptoms.

Drug Companies Allegedly “Invented” Low-T

According to a recent study published by The Endocrine Society in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, males with normal testosterone levels are being needlessly prescribed testosterone treatments, like AndroGel, despite the risk of serious cardiovascular side effects from low-T drugs.

Thousands of testosterone product lawsuits subsequently allege that the pharmaceutical companies deliberately convinced millions of men that they were suffering from a medical condition, known as low testosterone. In fact, the majority of these men were suffering from nothing more than the normal aging process. After convincing the men that they suffered from an ailment that needed pharmaceutical treatment, the companies then allegedly deliberately misrepresented the safety and effectiveness of their drugs and continued to promote off-label uses.

Testosterone Product Lawsuits

Testosterone product lawsuits claim that Abbott and other pharmaceutical companies deliberately concealed the negative side effects of their drugs, including heart attacks, and illegally paid physicians kickbacks.

AndroGel and other testosterone product victims nationwide continue to file testosterone product lawsuits alleging serious cardiovascular side effects. According to the latest case list released by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, there are currently at least 1,500 federal testosterone product lawsuits centralized in a multidistrict litigation in the Northern District of Illinois before Judge Matthew Kennelly.

These testosterone product lawsuits involve claims that victims suffered an assortment of serious injuries including stroke, heart attack, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis, and even death because the manufacturers did not provide adequate warnings about AndroGel’s and other testosterone products’ potential risks. The testosterone product lawsuits also allege that the defendants misled thousands of men by marketing testosterone products for a condition they claim is made up.

Low-T Bellwether Trials

In an attempt to clear the impending mass queue of testosterone claims, Judge Kennelly has outlined a tentative schedule of bellwether trials which are set to begin in October 2016. The trials are designed to give both the plaintiffs and the defendants an opportunity to see how their evidence and testimony plays out in front of a live jury. The results of these trials are not binding on any other testosterone product lawsuits, but may be instrumental in creating an atmosphere in which the parties may settle equitably before forcing hundreds of individual trials.