A new testosterone product lawsuit has been filed against the makers of various androgen (testosterone) replacement drugs. Plaintiffs Walter McGill and Donna McGill allege that drugs designed for androgen replacement therapies could present serious dangers to patients, including the risk of heart attack.

Androgen replacement therapy is designed to compensate for declining level of androgens. Androgens are a family of hormones which includes testosterone. These hormones have a strong influence on muscle and bone growth, metabolism, and mood. In some men, levels of various androgens decline with age, producing changes in their body and mood. For example, males with declining testosterone may experience fatigue and lose muscle mass. Androgen replacement therapy is designed to compensate for this, with various drugs that either replace or stimulate the production of higher levels on androgens. However, the androgen replacement lawsuit alleges that the therapies may be dangerous.

The testosterone therapy lawsuit alleges that androgen replacement drugs, like AndroDerm and Depo Testosterone contributed to Walter McGill suffering from a myocardial infarction – a type of heart attack in which a clot lodges in the blood vessels that feed the heart. Blood clot-related ailments have been reported in patients taking hormone-based drugs like androgen replacement drugs. The testosterone product lawsuit also includes evidence that suggests a strong link between the use of testosterone-based drugs and blood clot-related complications, including findings from research papers. Errant blood clots can cause a number of other serious medical emergencies, including stroke and pulmonary embolism.

The McGills’ testosterone drug lawsuit may eventually join others in a type of group lawsuit called a multidistrict litigation or MDL. MDLs are a type of group lawsuit, like the more familiar class action lawsuit. Group lawsuits like MDLs and class action lawsuits can help streamline the legal process. The main difference between class action lawsuits and MDLs is that class action lawsuits start out as group lawsuits, while MDLs start as individual cases which are later coordinated into a single legal proceeding. Because of this, MDLs are more common in drug lawsuits, since the plaintiffs in drug lawsuits tend to be scattered across the company with no connection to each other. This makes them more likely to file individual lawsuits instead of banding together to file a class action lawsuit from the beginning.

The couple’s testosterone product lawsuit further alleges that the manufacturers of the drug may be “disease mongering.” They allege that the manufacturers of androgen replacement drugs have been aggressively marketing their drugs and promoting the idea of “low T” as a disease that needs to be treated in order to increase sales.

The testosterone product lawsuit is formally titled Walter McGill, et al. v. Actavis Inc., et al., Case No. 2:14-cv-02177-LFP, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.