Plaintiffs Wesley and Betty Davis of New York have filed a testosterone lawsuit against two low testosterone supplement companies, Actavis and Watson, alleging that as a result of using the AndroDerm patch, Wesley Davis suffered from a massive stroke.

The AndroDerm lawsuit alleges that the companies had failed to warn of the possible side effects associated with their testosterone product, making no mention of the possibility of suffering a stroke. Actavis and Watson had also allegedly failed to warn the public about the potential risks associated with testosterone replacement therapy (TRT).

The Davises filed the AndroDerm lawsuit on April 18 in Nevada federal court, adding to the growing pile of testosterone supplement class action lawsuits. Most of these testosterone lawsuits allege similar complaints as Wesley Davis — with many suffering from cardiac complications due to the testosterone products.

According to the AndroDerm injury lawsuit, AndroDerm had been prescribed to Wesley Davis by his doctors after he voiced his worries of his testosterone levels possibly falling. He allegedly suffered a massive stroke in April 2011, which left him with permanent injuries and massive medical expenses.

AndroDerm patches are among some of the most popularly used testosterone products in the United States. The AndroDerm patch was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1995 to treat low testosterone levels in men, and exceeded $87 million in sales in 2011. The testosterone patch contains a medication that promotes the body’s natural testosterone production, and can be placed on the consumer’s arms, back, stomach or thighs. Testosterone products are advertised to increase libido, energy, and leaving men feeling younger and rejuvenated.

Testosterone therapy lawsuits blame the companies for this and other aggressive advertising tactics, which made men believe that lower testosterone levels were cause for concern. These advertisements encouraged men to test their testosterone levels through blood tests if they were feeling depressed, irritable, and had a decreased sexual interest. However, experts point out that these symptoms are often just signs of aging. The plaintiffs allege that the companies made Wesley Davis and other men feel that they had to combat low testosterone levels, while it was merely a natural transition in life.

For being directly responsible for manufacturing, selling, distributing, and marketing a dangerous product, the plaintiffs are suing Actavis and Watson. The charges include negligence, false advertising, concealing information, and misrepresenting a product.

Overview of Testosterone Complications

There are a growing number of testosterone injury lawsuits in the United States. Other products included in the testosterone therapy lawsuits include AndroGel, Testim, and Axiron. Each of these testosterone lawsuits involve allegations that the products caused cardiac complications including heart attacks, strokes, blood clots and death.

Concerns over the link between testosterone supplements and cardiac side effects have been in place for several years, but the issue did not become prevalent until recently because the number of complaints continue to rise. Several studies have been published pertaining to this potential link.

One study published in the November 2013 issue in Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) suggested that these testosterone supplements may increase the risk of cardiac complications in older men with certain pre-existing heart problems.

This study was followed by a study published in the medical journal, PLOSOne, in January 2014 which further investigated the results of the previous study. The study found that low testosterone levels may double the risk of heart attack for younger men with cardiac complications, and men over the age of 65, if they had heart conditions or not.

The findings of this study caused the FDA to announce it was launching a safety investigation into all testosterone replacement therapy products on January 31. The FDA has yet to report any conclusive findings.