Another Propecia lawsuit has been filed against the drug’s manufacturer, Merck, alleging the hair loss drug causes sexual dysfunction and that Merck failed to adequately warn about potential sexual side effects related to Propecia use.

Plaintiff Kevin H., of Harris County, Texas, was prescribed Propecia in 2006 to treat male pattern hair loss. While using Propecia, Kevin allegedly began to suffer and continues to suffer from sexual dysfunction, gynecomastia (male breast growth), and cognitive impairment.

Even though Kevin stopped taking the hair loss drug in 2008, he claims he continues to suffer adverse Propecia side effects and requires ongoing medical treatment and monitoring as a direct cause of his Propecia-induced side effects.

The Propecia lawsuit accuses Merck of selling the drug without adequate warnings regarding the propensity of Propecia to cause sexual side effects, even after a patient discontinues use. Kevin is joining the pending Propecia multidistrict litigation in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Propecia Side Effects

Propecia is the brand name for finasteride, a synthetic antiandrogen that prevents enzymes from converting testosterone to dihyudrotestosterone (DHT). High levels of DHT are believed to be responsible for baldness in men and an enlarged prostate. In 1997 the FDA approved the use of finasteride under the brand name Propecia as a male pattern baldness treatment.

Recognized side effects included on Propecia’s label include:

• Impotence
• Abnormal ejaculation
• Decreased ejaculatory volume
• Abnormal sexual function
• Gynecomastia
• Erectile dysfunction
• Ejaculation disorder
• Testicular pain

According to the package labeling, these Propecia side effects are temporary and will cease once treatment is discontinued.

However, a study conducted by George Washington University Professor Michael S. Irwig raises concerns that these Propecia side effects could be permanent in at least 15 percent of men who have taken Propecia even after discontinuing the drug.

The study, published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, included interviews with 71 men between the ages of 21 to 46 years. Results show that 94 percent developed low libido, 92 percent developed erectile dysfunction and decreased arousal, and 69 percent reported orgasm problems.

While Propecia labeling in the United States continues to state that the side effects are reversible, other countries have taken steps to warn consumers. In 2008, the Swedish Medical Products agency issued a warning that the use of finasteride could result in irreversible sexual dysfunction.

The United Kingdom’s Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has acknowledged reports of persistent erectile dysfunction associated with finasteride. And the Italian government has required updated finasteride labeling to reflect the possibly of permanent sexual side effects.

Propecia Lawsuits

Kevin’s Propecia lawsuit joins hundreds of other Propecia lawsuits currently pending in courts across the United States.

In April 2012, a federal judicial panel transferred pending Propecia lawsuits to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Each of those cases filed against Merck alleged that Propecia caused “persistent sexual dysfunction.”

The panel transferred the cases to Judge John Gleeson for faster case processing because it expects many more Propecia lawsuits with similar allegations against Merck.

The Propecia Multidistrict Litigation is In Re: Propecia (Finasteride) Product Liability Litigation MDL No. 2331 in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.