AndroGel Lawsuit Alleges Drug Caused Heart Attack

A husband and wife team have filed a testosterone product lawsuit against the makers of a “low-T” drug manufacturer AbbVie Inc. and related entities, alleging that these drugs are over-promoted and unsafe.

According to the testosterone gel lawsuit, Harry Nieves was prescribed AndroGel in April 2013, and took the drug as prescribed, through November of the same year. His testosterone product lawsuit asserts that he was healthy prior to taking the drug. However, in November of 2013, he allegedly suffered a heart attack and related complications. Nieves required hospitalization, emergency bypass surgery, and will continue to require regular medical testing, a restrictive diet, and medications for the rest of his life. He is joined in the low-t drug lawsuit by his wife, Mildred Nieves.

The Nieves’ testosterone product lawsuit alleges AndroGel is unsafe. To back this assertion, the testosterone gel lawsuit cites a number of peer-reviewed medical articles that have indicated a link between testosterone-based drugs like AndroGel and blood clot related complications like stroke, pulmonary embolism, and heart attack.

Some of the studies date back several years. One of the cited studies was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2010. Researchers reportedly had to abandon this study once it was underway when too many research subjects began experiencing adverse medical problems. Other studies have looked at public health data and found that drugs like AndroGel may increase a person’s risk of heart attack by up to 500 percent. The testosterone product lawsuit alleges that AbbVie knew — or reasonably should have known — of the serious risks linked to its drug.

The testosterone product lawsuit further alleges that AbbVie has aggressively promoted the drug in spite of this danger. In support of this allegation, the testosterone gel lawsuit points out that company has spent tens of millions of dollars promoting AndroGel, which this includes a campaign to increase “awareness” of “low-T.” The drug has generated billions of dollars in revenue.

The Nieves’ testosterone product lawsuit may join other lawsuits in a type of group litigation called a multidistrict litigation or MDL. MDLs are a sort of group lawsuit, similar in some ways to a class action lawsuit. In both MDLs and class action lawsuits, a group of plaintiffs allege that they have suffered similar harm at the hands of the same defendant. The main difference is that class action lawsuits start out as group lawsuits, while MDLs start out as individual lawsuits that are later coordinated into a single MDL. At present, an MDL is being organized around claims related to low T drugs like AndroGel. There is some uncertainty if the cases will be combined into a single MDL against several different drug companies or if there will be “individual” MDLs against each drug manufacture.

The AndroGel Testosterone Product Lawsuit is Harry Nieves, et al. v. AbbVie Inc., et al., Case No. 1:14-cv-03166, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division.

Join a Free Testosterone Product Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you or someone you know suffered a heart attack, stroke, blood clot, or other injury as a result of using a testosterone gel or cream, legal options are available. Find out if you qualify to join a free testosterone gel class action lawsuit investigation and pursue compensation for you or your loved one’s injuries:

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