A South Carolina man has filed a testosterone product lawsuit and joined the multidistrict litigation against Abbott Laboratories and its former subsidiary AbbVie. The low-t lawsuit alleges that the defendants misrepresented a testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) gel, AndroGel, as a safe and effective treatment for “low testosterone” when the drug actually causes life-threatening cardiovascular events such as heart attack and coronary artery disease.

Plaintiff Roy M. claims in the low-t drug lawsuit that he began using AndroGel in December 2010 and continued using it until approximately April 2011. Roy alleges he suffered coronary atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease as a direct result of taking the prescribed testosterone replacement therapy. Roy further alleges that he relied on claims made by the testosterone products’ manufacturers that AndroGel and other testosterone products had been clinically proven to safely and effectively raise testosterone levels.

According to the testosterone product lawsuit, the pharmaceutical companies purposely deceived the medical community and consumers by marketing AndroGel as a viable treatment for low testosterone, while withholding facts about life-threatening health risks associated with the use of the drug.

Roy is seeking punitive damages and court costs for AbbVie’s alleged negligent misrepresentation of AndroGel’s side effects. He has demanded a jury trial for this case.

What is AndroGel?

AndroGel, a spray gel applied to the shoulders or upper arms, is one of the most widely used low testosterone products. Since first introducing it in 2000, AbbVie has aggressively marketed the low-t product in direct-to-consumer advertisements.

The manufacturer seized on the fact that testosterone, which is produced naturally in the body and powers a male’s sex drive and general sense of physical strength and well-being, also naturally dips about 1 percent per year sometime after males hit their 30s. The telltale symptoms of decreased testosterone levels, also termed hypogonadism, include lower sperm counts, lack of vitality and muscle strength, and weight gain. The FDA approved testosterone replacement therapy drugs such as AndroGel to counter these symptoms.

However, some men are being prescribed testosterone therapy medications to combat low-t associated with the natural aging process, putting them at unnecessary risk for potentially life-threatening testosterone side effects. According to two studies published in November 2013 and January 2014, AndroGel and other testosterone products may increase the risk of heart attack, stroke and death for older men with pre-existing heart conditions, younger men with heart disease, and men over 65 with no prior heart conditions.

Testosterone Product Lawsuits Consolidated

In June 2014, all testosterone therapy lawsuits filed in federal courts across the United States were centralized for coordinated pretrial proceedings into a low-t drug multidistrict litigation (MDL). The MDL covers all low-t medications and drug manufacturers because the complaints involve similar allegations regardless of brand or manufacturer. Allegations center on the manufacturers’ failure to provide adequate warnings regarding the potential for testosterone replacement therapy to put men at risk for serious side effects including heart attack, pulmonary embolism, stroke and deep vein thrombosis.

The  AndroGel Testosterone Product Lawsuit is Case No. 1:15-cv-03045, MDL No. 2545, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.