What is AndroGel?
AndroGel is an Androgen replacement drug used to treat low testosterone. The medication is a gel that is rubbed on the shoulders or abdomen once a day.
What are AndroGel’s side effects?
Men who use AndroGel may experience swelling of the feet or ankles, swollen breasts or trouble breathing while sleeping. More serious side effects include blood clotting in legs and an increased risk of prostate cancer. Additionally, women and children who come in contact with AndroGel may experience side effects such as increased body hair and acne.
Are there any Androgel class action lawsuits?
The Androgel litigation landscape has been evolving. At the height of the testosterone litigation, more than 25,000 lawsuits had been filed against AbbVie Inc., Eli Lilly & Co., Pfizer Inc., Endo International and other manufacturers. Cases claimed that men who used the drugs experienced side effects such as heart attacks, strokes, or blood clots known as pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis, mostly within 90 days of using the product.
By the end of 2021, the multidistrict litigation (MDL) over Androgel and other testosterone drugs, which at one time included nearly 8,000 cases, had dwindled down to its last few dozen cases. Even as of October 2022, there were still 5 federal cases remaining in Illinois federal court.
These cases primarily arose from allegations that the manufacturers had improperly marketed their products for use by men experiencing normal, age-related declines in testosterone levels, despite the drugs not having received regulatory approval to be prescribed for such use. This off-label use was said to have increased the men’s risk of serious side effects such as heart attack and stroke.
Furthermore, a whistleblower lawsuit filed in federal court in Texas alleged that Solvay Pharmaceuticals used improper sales practices to market AndroGel. This suit claimed that the drugmaker recruited doctors to screen patients seeking Viagra for low testosterone, thereby promoting the drug for off-label uses, even though it isn’t approved to treat erectile dysfunction like Viagra is.
Among the lawsuits, two types of AndroGel cases went to trial. The first group of cases involved plaintiff claims that the drug caused myocardial infraction (heart attack) or stroke. The second group contained cases that alleged blood clot injury, including pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis. Unfortunately for the plaintiffs, the majority of verdicts have favored the manufacturers.
More information about AndroGel
Please visit these sites for more information about AndroGel and Androgen Replacement Therapy
- AndroGel.com – official website
- Androgen Replacement Therapy – Wikipedia entry
- Drugs.com – AndroGel