Product liability attorneys are currently looking for potential plaintiffs to bring Propecia lawsuits against the pharmaceutical manufacturer Merck.

These lawsuits will likely allege that Merck failed to warn the medical community and the general public about potentially permanent side effects associate with using the hair loss medication.

Propecia Sexual Side Effects

Propecia, generically known as finasteride, is a popular medication used to treat men suffering from an enlarged prostate, also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH, and male pattern baldness. Finasteride is often sold in two different sized doses. The 1 mg dose is marketed as Propecia and the 5mg dose is marketed as Proscar.

Unfortunately for men using finasteride, the medication recently has been linked to potentially permanent side effects relating to sexual health complications. Propecia side effects include libido disorders, ejaculation disorders, and orgasm disorders.

In April of 2012, the United States Food and Drug Administration mandated that Propeica marketers change the medication’s labeling to include warnings of these side effects. The FDA also required the drug label to include warnings that Propecia side effects may continue even after a patient has discontinued the medication.

Propecia Lawsuits

Over 1,000 finasteride lawsuits have been filed against Merck. Many of these lawsuits allege that the pharmaceutical manufacturer knew about these potentially permanent Propecia side effects years before the FDA mandated the label change.

The Propecia lawsuits point to the fact that Merck included a warning that the hair loss drug’s sexual side effects may be permanent on drug labels used in Sweden as evidence in their claims.

According to a Merck SEC filing from November 2014, over 1,500 plaintiffs have filed claims against the drug manufacturer. Some of these cases have become part of a multidistrict litigation in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

A multidistrict litigation panel is sometimes convened when several lawsuits containing similar facts and questions of law are initiated in federal court. Once the panel is formed the similar cases are put before a single federal judge for pretrial motions and discovery. This ensures efficiency and consistency in pretrial rulings. Once the pretrial motions and discovery are complete the cases are then usually sent back to their original jurisdiction.

The Propecia lawsuits against Merck generally allege that the company violated consumer protection laws. Propecia claims likely include breach of warranty, strict product liability, negligence, fraud and misrepresentation, and negligence.

The men who initiate these Propecia sexual dysfunction lawsuits allege that their lives have been permanently altered due to the sexual side effects that they have suffered. In some cases, victims spouses are joining the lawsuits as co-plaintiffs in order to bring a claim for loss of consortium, or loss of spousal intimacy.

Awards and settlements from these Propecia lawsuits will help serve as a small step in compensating victims for the pain and suffering they have been forced to endure due to the medication.