Virginia plaintiff Michael Gallagher is the latest man to file a product liability lawsuit against AbbVie Inc., maker of the popular testosterone gel product AndroGel.  At 54, the plaintiff was prescribed AndroGel for symptoms of low testosterone after he saw the defendant’s advertisements promoting the benefits of using the product.

After taking AndroGel, Gallagher alleges he suffered heart problems from the product. Now, Gallagher is seeking remedy for physical and emotional damages he allegedly suffered after taking prescribed AndroGel.

Medical Studies Indicate Testosterone Risks

The marketing campaign for AndroGel came out strong as men flocked to their doctors to inquire more about the new testosterone gel product. What was not allegedly presented in the advertisements was the explicit mention of how much of an actual increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and death men face when taking a testosterone product such as AndroGel. There have been numerous studies that suggest testosterone in men can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke by 30%.

Gallagher cites numerous studies in his AndroGel lawsuit indicating that testosterone side effects can have potentially fatal consequences for some men.

In 2010, a New England Journal of Medicine study entitled “Adverse Events Associated with Testosterone Administrator” became no longer available after a high number of men in the testosterone group suffered adverse effects.

In November 2013, there was another study released entitled “Association of Testosterone Therapy with Mortality, Myocardial Infarction, and Stroke in Men with Low Testosterone Levels.” This study held strong claims that testosterone therapy raised the risk of death, heart attack, and stroke by nearly 30%.

Finally, there was the most recent study in January 2014, which indicated that testosterone use doubled the risk of heart attacks in men aged 65 and older, while also increasing those men younger than 65 that were previously diagnosed with heart disease.

Despite physicians recommending AndroGel to patients, AbbVie Inc. failed to disclose all of the appropriate risks of their product, Gallagher alleges in his lawsuit, which led some men to purchase the product whom would have never purchased it in the first place.