Another testosterone product lawsuit has been filed against the manufacturer of AndroGel, joining the multidistrict litigation against Abbott Laboratories and its former subsidiary AbbVie.

The testosterone product lawsuit alleges that an Illinois man suffered from life-threatening cardiac events after using the testosterone treatment.

Plaintiff Vincent C. claims in the low-t drug lawsuit that he began using AndroGel in April 2009 and continued using it until approximately August 2014. Vincent alleges he suffered chronic occlusion and had to have a cardiac catheter with stents as a direct result of taking the prescribed testosterone replacement therapy.

Vincent further alleges that he was never warned about the increased risk of serious cardiac events that may occur with use of AndroGel. Vincent claims that AbbVie disregarded the public’s safety by failing to provide warnings for these risks and did so for the primary purpose of increasing profits.

According to the testosterone product lawsuit, the pharmaceutical companies purposely deceived the medical community and consumers by marketing AndroGel as a viable treatment for low testosterone while withholding facts about life-threatening health risks associated with the use of the drug.

What is AndroGel?

AndroGel is a topical testosterone gel manufactured by AbbVie, formerly part of Abbott Laboratories. It is a clear, colorless gel that may contains 1% or 1.62% concentrations of testosterone, which is a male reproductive hormone. AndroGel is approved to treat “hypogonadism,” a deficiency of testosterone.

Testosterone is a male sexual hormone that is produced in the testicles and regulated in the brain. It is responsible for facial hair, muscle mass, sperm production, and other male sexual characteristics. After age 40, testosterone levels normally decrease by 0.5-1% per year.

Since first introducing it in 2000, AbbVie has aggressively marketed the low testosterone product in direct-to-consumer advertisements.

Many men are being prescribed testosterone therapy medications to combat low testosterone associated with the natural aging process, allegedly putting them at unnecessary risk for potentially life-threatening testosterone side effects.

According to two studies published in November 2013 and January 2014, AndroGel and other testosterone products may increase the risk of heart attack, stroke and death for older men with pre-existing heart conditions, younger men with heart disease, and men over 65 with no prior heart conditions.

Testosterone Product Multidistrict Litigation

In June 2014, all testosterone therapy lawsuits filed in federal courts across the United States were centralized for coordinated pretrial proceedings into a low-t drug multidistrict litigation (MDL). The MDL covers all low-t drugs and drug manufacturers because the complaints involve similar allegations regardless of brand or manufacturer.

Allegations center on the manufacturers’ failure to provide adequate warnings regarding the potential for testosterone replacement therapy to put men at risk for serious side effects including heart attack, pulmonary embolism, stroke and deep vein thrombosis.

The AndroGel Testosterone Product Lawsuit is Case No. 1:15-cv-07018, MDL No. 2545, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.