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(USGovernment-News.Com, May 24, 2014 ) Chicago, IL -- The Oliver Law Group P.C. has learned that the use of testosterone replacement therapy has become so popular that “low-T” clinics are springing up in metropolitan areas across the U.S. to dispense the prescription medication that treats men with low testosterone levels, according to a report produced by Kaiser Health News (KHN) and National Public Radio (NPR). While the testosterone medication trend is being compared to the Viagara or Rogaine craze, physicians who specialize in male hormone problems warn men to stay away from low-T centers, or what one doctor calls, “sex hormone factories,” the report stated. A board certified urologist interviewed for the KHN and NPR story expressed concern that serious health issues may be overlooked at low-T clinics since these operations are not set up to treat complex medical problems, such as sleep apnea, depression and heart disease, that often come in the disguise of low energy and decreased sex drive.
[kaiserhealthnews.org/stories/2014/april/28/low-t-testosterone-clinics-safety-costs.aspx?referrer=search, April 28, 2014]
The FDA’s Concern Over Low Testosterone Treatment Medication
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration is also concerned about serious health issues affecting men who take low testosterone treatment therapy to treat hypogonadism (low testosterone) in men whose testosterone levels are low due to an underlying medical condition. The federal agency stated in its safety announcement in January 2014, that it decided to reassess low testosterone products after reviewing two separate studies that suggests that men taking prescribed testosterone replacement therapy were at an increased risk of cardiovascular events. The FDA reviewed a study published in the November 2013 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that observed older men in the U.S. Veterans Affairs health system who underwent a medical procedure that assessed for coronary artery disease. According to the study, the men on average were about 60 years old and many had underlying cardiovascular disease. Some of the men received low testosterone treatment while some did not receive the prescription medication. The study suggested that the men who had been prescribed testosterone replacement therapy were at a 30 percent increased risk of stroke, heart attack, and death. The FDA cited a second observational study that found an increased risk of heart attack in older men and younger men with pre-existing heart disease who took low testosterone treatment medication.
[fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm383904.htm?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=fda-evaluating-risk-of-stroke-heart-attack-and-death-with-fda-approved-testosterone-products, January 31, 2014]
Prescription Testosterone Treatment Medication The Focus Of Lawsuits
Court documents show that filings of testosterone replacement therapy lawsuits are increasing across the country, so much so that two motions have been filed with the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) requesting the centralization of the low testosterone treatment complaints. A motion, filed on April 11, 2014, stated that there are 50 testosterone treatment lawsuits pending nationwide in which plaintiffs allege, among other things, that low testosterone medication, such as Androderm, AndroGel, and Testim caused them to have heart attacks, strokes and other serious health complications. The brief asks the JPML to transfer the testosterone lawsuits to the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana for pretrial hearings. (In Re: Testosterone Products Liability Litigation, No. 42, JPML) The JPML has not announced whether it will hear oral arguments on this motion, but the judicial panel has scheduled a hearing May 29, 2014, for another motion asking the court to transfer all AndroGel lawsuits to the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois for coordinated pretrials. Plaintiffs contend that the 38 AndroGel complaints pending against Abbot Laboratories Inc. and AbbVie Inc. the manufacturers of AndroGel, should be consolidated since all make similar allegations of suffering heart attacks, strokes, pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis and thromboembolic events due to taking the prescribed testosterone medication. (In Re: AndroGel Product Liability Litigation, No. 36, JPML)
Contact Oliver Law Group P.C. To Learn More About Filing A Testosterone Lawsuit
If you or someone you know suffered a heart attack, stroke or other potentially fatal heart event while using a prescription Testosterone therapy, please contact one of our low testosterone treatment lawyers today for a free, no obligation testosterone lawsuit review of your case by submitting your information on the form to the right or by calling 1-(800) 939-7878 today.
When you file a Testosterone lawsuit, you can be confident that the legal staff at Oliver Law Group P.C. will work to ensure that you are treated fairly and receive the justice you deserve.
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