Attorneys representing plaintiffs in testosterone drug lawsuits met with an Illinois federal judge on Friday to go over the pretrial management of the testosterone lawsuits, after they were consolidated in the Illinois federal court.

The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) consolidated all the testosterone product lawsuits into single a multidistrict litigation (MDL) in the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Illinois in June under U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly.

The testosterone lawsuits concern testosterone products such as AndroGel, Testim, Axiron, Androderm and others, and they all allege that the testosterone products led men to suffer heart attacks, strokes, deep vein thromboses, pulmonary embolisms or other blood clot related injuries.

The testosterone product lawsuits were consolidated into a single testosterone drug MDL even though several products and drug companies are at stake in order to avoid duplicative discovery and conflicting pretrial rulings, which would likely occur if different judges were handling the various lawsuits.

Judge Kennelly appointed 33 lawyers earlier in August to take leadership roles in the testosterone drug MDL. The lawyers submitted to the judge discovery issues already exchanged between the parties early last week.

Testosterone Product Complications

Testosterone therapy is used to treat sexual dysfunction, increase bone density, increase strength and lean muscle mass as well as help lower cholesterol and reduce insulin resistance.

Testosterone therapy has soared in recent years. In 2008, there were 208 million prescriptions for testosterone supplements. By 2012, the number of prescriptions more than doubled, reaching 432 million.

Testosterone levels fall naturally as men age. However, younger men can also experience a drop in testosterone due to certain medical conditions. There is a difference in opinion on which men should be treated.

In late January, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it was reexamining testosterone replacement drugs due to two studies that were recently released showing an increased risk of heart attack and stroke in men who take the drugs.

“We have been monitoring this risk and decided to reassess this safety issue based on the recent publication of two separate studies that each suggested an increased risk of cardiovascular events among groups of men prescribed testosterone therapy,” the FDA said in a statement.

The agency added that it “has not concluded that FDA-approved testosterone treatment increases the risk of stroke, heart attack or death. Patients should not stop taking prescribed testosterone products without first discussing any questions or concerns with their healthcare professionals.”

However, the FDA said that doctors need to assess if “the benefits of FDA-approved testosterone treatment is likely to exceed potential risks of treatment.”

One new study recently released found that men who partake in testosterone therapy have an increased risk of experiencing a heart attack, stroke or death.

The study was done at the Veterans Affairs Eastern Colorado Health Care System and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the veterans included in the study that were undergoing testosterone therapy had a 30 percent higher risk for an adverse cardiovascular event.

The Testosterone Product MDL is In re: Testosterone Replacement Therapy Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2545, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.