Merck & Co. was hit with a Propecia lawsuit by a Washington man, alleging that the male-patern baldness drug led to severe sexual dysfunction.

Plaintiff Daniel J. says in his Propecia lawsuit that Merck allegedly failed in its civic duty to protect him and other patients, against the dangerous side effects of its drug. Daniel claims that as a direct result of using Propecia that he developed severe and persisting erectile dysfunction.

Like millions of middle-aged men in America, Daniel had been suffering from male-pattern baldness and was seeking treatment. After reviewing the defendant’s advertisements, Daniel’s physician had prescribed him Propecia sometime in 2007 and had used it for a short time before developing personal side effects.

According to the Propecial sexual dysfunction lawsuit, Daniel had followed all prescription instructions and physician advice faithfully, and did not deviate from the dosing schedule. The side effects he experienced included erectile dysfunction and disrupted libido function, making erections difficult or impossible to maintain.

In his Propecia lawsuit, Daniel states that his life was severely disrupted and is highly uncomfortable with these persisting symptoms. The plaintiff stated that his erectile dysfunction and overall sexual dysfunction has persisted long after he stopped taking Propecia, which continues to this day.

He claims that nowhere on Propecia’s label did it mention sexual complications or erectile dysfunction, nor did Merck provide the plaintiff or his physician any relevant studies disclosing this possible side effect.

The Propecia lawsuit alleges that Merck is obligated to completely disclose the side effects of its products to its clients because they rely on the given information. Daniel insists that he never would have used Propecia, if he had known about the possibility of erectile dysfunction.

So for being allegedly responsible for manufacturing, selling, distributing, and marketing a dangerous product, Daniel is suing Merck. The charges include: negligence, false advertising, concealing information, and misrepresenting a product.

This Propecia Sexual Dysfunction Lawsuit is part of the multi istrict litigation (MDL) where Propecia lawsuits have been consolidated, In Re: Propecia (Finasteride) Product Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2331, in the U.S. District Court of Eastern New York.

Overview of Propecia Erectile Dysfunction Allegations

Propecia (Finasteride) was approved by the FDA in 1997, to treat male-pattern baldness in adult men. Over a million people currently use Propecia, after Merck garnered over 400,000 prescribers within its first year on the market.

At the time of its release, Merck had advertised Propecia to be a safe and effective reversal method for treating baldness. Propecia works by blocking the hormone responsible for thinning hair follicles, but unfortunately it reportedly interferes with the body’s natural testosterone production.

Numerous men have reported persisting sexual side effects that continued long after they stopped taking Propecia, with some of them being completely unable to get an erection.

After many complaints and several FDA warnings, Merck had updated Propecia’s warning label in April 2012 to include persisting sexual side effects, which may last after the Propecia prescription. Unfortunately, this warning came too late to many patients who had used Propecia without any knowledge of sexual side effects.

This has led to a mass litigation movement against Merck, which has been consolidated in a New York federal court. Each of these plaintiffs allege that Merck knew about the side effects of Propecia but did nothing to protect its clients, in favor of protecting the market value of their product.