Over 400 Propecia Lawsuits Filed in State & Federal Court

At least 140 Propecia lawsuits have been consolidated into multidistrict litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Lawsuits in the Propecia MDL are currently in pretrial proceedings under Judge John Gleeson. These lawsuits were consolidated in April 2012. Another 261 lawsuits were consolidated in a New Jersey state court; those proceedings are being overseen by Superior Court Judge Jessica R. Mayer in Middlesex County.

Propecia (finasteride) is sold and marketed as a medication to treat male pattern baldness (androgenic alopecia) in men. But many of its users have developed severe and sometimes permanent sexual side effects including erectile dysfunction, decreased libido, genital shrinkage as well as cognitive impairment.

Merck originally developed Propecia as a drug to treat enlarged prostates and sold it as Proscar starting in 1992. Merck began to market it as a treatment for male pattern baldness in 1997. Propecia became a top seller for Merck even though it was not marketed to treat any medical condition.  

According to the warning label that originally accompanied Propecia, Merck warned that men did develop sexual side effects after use, but that symptoms dissipated when the patient stopped taking the medication.

By 2011, patients began to report that the sexual side effects continued even though they no longer used Propecia and that the sexual side effects may be permanent.

According to some of the Propecia lawsuits, sexual dysfunction has occurred in 39% of Propecia patients. According to one 2003 study that is cited in some of the lawsuits, only 50% of Propecia users saw the sexual side effects end when they stopped using Propecia.

Many of the Propecia lawsuits claim that Merck knew or should have known of the severity of the sexual side effects that were caused by taking Propecia even after discontinued use, and that the warning label that accompanied the drug should have accurately reflected the risks.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a report in 2011 stating that sexual disorders continued in Propecia patients as long as 40 months after they discontinued using the drug. This finding came after the FDA reviewed over 420 reports from patients who experienced sexual side effects from Propecia. After this study, the FDA required Merck to update its label to state that erectile dysfunction continues in patients even after treatment ended.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual side effects after taking Propecia, legal options are available. Learn more and get a free legal consultation regarding a claim’s eligibility at the Propecia Loss of Sex Drive, Sexual Dysfunction Class Action Lawsuit Settlement Investigation. Experienced legal professionals have access to medical experts to assess whether or not this male pattern baldness drug played a role in loss of sexual function, so act now.