A Tennessee plaintiff recently filed a testosterone lawsuit against Pfizer, alleging that he experienced side effects of testosterone injections including two serious strokes.

Plaintiff Mark J. began taking depo testosterone injections (cypionate) in January 2013, and discontinued his use of the low t therapy in October 2013.

According to the Testosterone lawsuit, filed against Pfizer and Pharmacia & Upjohn Company Inc., the plaintiff’s depo testosterone injection was responsible for the two strokes he suffered in 2013. The first stroke was in January 2013, and the second he went through in September 2013.

The Depo Testosterone lawsuit alleges that these strokes were not random, but were instead side effects of testosterone injections. The low t lawsuit claims that these strokes were preventable.

The plaintiff filed this testosterone lawsuit on multiple counts, including design defect, failure to warn, negligence, fraud, and several others. Mark J. also filed for punitive damages.

Depo Testosterone Injection Background

Depo Testosterone (also known as cypionate) was approved as testosterone therapy by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in July 1979.

Testosterone is responsible for the growth and development of male sex organs, and also plays a role in a man’s sex drive. Testosterone levels fluctuate day to day, and even hour to hour, depending on a variety of factors. For this reason, men who may believe their testosterone levels are low may actually have normal levels the next day.

However, testosterone levels do generally decline after a man reaches the age of thirty. Many men choose to take testosterone therapy. Depo Testosterone is a form of testosterone replacement that is injected directly into the muscles.

Serious side effects of testosterone injections have been reported and include stroke, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, heart attack, and even death.

According to testosterone lawsuits, Pfizer created a deceptive marketing strategy to mislead consumers about how common testosterone deficiency is, as well as the condition’s symptoms. This campaign was allegedly meant to encourage consumers to take depo testosterone injections when they may not even be deficient in the first place.

The lawsuit claims that Pfizer deliberately and falsely marketed their Depo Testosterone therapy treatment as a “disease awareness” campaign, indicating to consumers across the U.S. that low testosterone is a common and serious condition among American men.

Instead of adequately warning patients and the medical community about the serious and even life threatening side effects of testosterone injections, Pfizer purposely understated the risks associated with the drug, according to low t lawsuits.

A January 2014 study published in the medical journal PLoSOne on testosterone drug safety revealed that side effects of testosterone injections may include an increased risk of heart attacks. Indeed, the study showed that these kinds of drugs may as much as double the risk of heart attacks in men 65 years old or above.

For younger men who have a prior history of heart disease, the study showed that testosterone drugs could also increase their risk of heart attacks by as much as double.

Another study, this one done in 2015 and published in the journal Pharmacotherapy, suggested that first time testosterone users may be 40 percent more likely to have a heart attack when compared with men who did not use testosterone drugs.

Testosterone Lawsuits

According to testosterone lawsuits, Pfizer had a duty to warn the public and the medical community of the risk of serious side effects of testosterone injections such as heart attack, stroke, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and/or death that are associated with their testosterone therapy product.

The plaintiffs in these testosterone lawsuits allege that Pfizer failed to provide adequate warnings concerning the risk of these medical conditions, and even failed to update warnings based on information from product surveillance and studies after the FDA’s approval.

If you or someone you know has taken Depo Testosterone and has suffered from serious side effects of testosterone injections or complications such as deep vein thrombosis, heart attack, or stroke, you may be able to file a testosterone lawsuit.

The Testosterone Lawsuit is Case No. 1:16-cv-02752, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.