A request has been recently filed for the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) to consolidate all Testofen lawsuits that have been filed throughout the federal court system. These testosterone product lawsuits allege that the manufacturing company used false or deceitful marketing statements to make their testosterone products appear more legitimate.

On Jan. 7, a motion to consolidate Testofen lawsuits was filed with the JPML, which seeks to transfer all similar cases under one judge. This would prevent conflicting rulings from different judges, avoid duplicative hearings, and would further serve the convenience of the parties. The motion calls for all Testofen lawsuits to be centralized in the Northern District of California.

The first Testofen lawsuit was filed in May 2014 and alleged that Testofen did not increase testosterone levels in men safely, despite advertising claims saying otherwise. In December 2014, two more Testofen lawsuits were filed naming Testofen manufacturer Force Factor LLC as a defendant. Another low-t drug lawsuit was filed on Dec. 31, 2014 by 11 plaintiffs who named a number of companies as defendants including Gencor, General Nutrition Centers (GNC), Force Factor, Dreambrands, Truderma, and several other manufacturers.

Plaintiffs similarly complain that the Testofen product’s label claimed that the low testosterone treatment could increase the patient’s level of testosterone and provide other benefits, but had not done so. While this testosterone product is often advertised as a safe and natural way to increase testosterone levels, several consumers state that this is not the case.

What is Testofen?

Testofen is created from the extract from fenugreek seeds, which is advertised to increase the production of testosterone in men. These seeds are often used in other supplements that claim they can increase muscle mass and sexual prowess in men and can allegedly help treat erectile dysfunction. In the past few months, several class action Testofen lawsuits have been filed against Gencor Nutrients for allegedly practicing illegal marketing tactics.

Overview of Testosterone Therapy Treatment Complications

While Testofen plaintiffs have not complained of potentially fatal health conditions, men who have used other testosterone products have not been so lucky. Over the past year, hundreds of AndroGel, Axiron, Testin, and other testosterone product lawsuits have been filed throughout the country. Each of these testosterone product lawsuits allege that these low-t products caused the patients to develop blood-clot injuries, which led to heart attack, stroke, and similar injuries.

The testosterone side effects concern started in the January 2014 issue of PLOS ONE, where a prominent study stated that young men with certain heart conditions were at risk for cardiac injuries, and that older men were vulnerable regardless, if they use low-t products.

In June 2014, the JPML decided to centralize all AndroGel lawsuits, which are now overseen by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly in the Northern District of Illinois, for coordinated pretrial proceedings. As a part of the pretrial proceedings, Judge Kennelly ordered a small group of AndroGel lawsuits to be prepared for early trial dates that are set to begin in late 2016 and early 2017. These lawsuits are called bellwether cases and are designed to help determine how juries may react to certain evidence and testimony, which is likely to repeated throughout the litigation.

Additionally, these testosterone product lawsuits will also help the parties determine the strengths and weaknesses of their cases, which may result in low-t settlements that will eliminate the need for further trials. If a settlement is not reached before these bellwether trials end, then the testosterone product lawsuits will be reassigned the district they were originally filed, and wait for their individual trial date.