Popular testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) products like Axiron testosterone gel have been linked to an alleged increased risk of heart attack, stroke, sudden death and other devastating side effects in users, and men who have been prescribed Axiron or another low-T treatment are now filing lawsuits against the drug manufacturing companies. If you believe you have been harmed by side effects of Axiron testosterone gel, contact a knowledgeable product liability lawyer today to discuss your legal options.
Between 2000 and 2011, the use of low-T treatments increased five-fold, with sales of testosterone products skyrocketing to $1.9 billion by 2012, as the makers of Axiron and other testosterone products began prescribing them to men struggling with fatigue, low energy levels and decreased sex drive. During this time, researchers began examining the potential for TRT to cause potentially life-threatening side effects in users, and in 2009, researchers stopped a testosterone therapy study after finding that men receiving the low-T drugs were experiencing higher rates of adverse respiratory, cardiac and dermatologic events. The results of this study were published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2010, and this sparked widespread concern among consumers and healthcare providers about the risk of heart attacks and other problems from testosterone replacement therapy.
One of the biggest studies involving side effects of low-T therapy was published in the medical journal PLoS One in 2014, and found that testosterone treatments like Axiron were associated with double the risk of heart attack for men under the age of 65 with pre-existing heart problems, and for men over 65, regardless of any pre-existing heart conditions. That same year, the FDA issued a drug safety communication indicating that it was “investigating the risk of stroke, heart attack, and death in men taking FDA-approved testosterone products.” In May 2015, the FDA issued an updated warning, indicating that “prescription testosterone products are approved only for men who have low testosterone levels caused by certain medical conditions,” and that “The benefit and safety of these medications have not been established for the treatment of low testosterone levels due to aging, even if a man’s symptoms seem related to low testosterone.”
Axiron lawsuits and other TRT lawsuits brought in courts across the country allege that drug makers knew about the potential for their testosterone treatments to cause heart attacks and other side effects in users, yet concealed this risk from the public in order to protect their bottom line.
Axiron is a topical testosterone gel meant to be applied under the arm via deodorant in order to elevate testosterone levels in men with hypogonadism and other medical problems causing hormonal deficiencies. Axiron was introduced in 2010, at a time when testosterone gels and other products were becoming more and more popular, even as medical journals published studies highlighting the potential link between low-T treatments and serious cardiovascular problems. Manufactured by Eli Lilly, Axiron was touted as a superior alternative to AndroGel and other low-T products, and was aggressively marketed by the manufacturing company for uses beyond those approved by the FDA, including as a treatment for healthy men experiencing decreased sex drive and other natural signs of the aging process.
Victims of alleged TRT side effects and their families are filing lawsuits to cover the cost of:
Men who have suffered heart attacks, strokes, blood clots or other potential side effects of testosterone replacement therapy may be entitled to financial compensation for their injuries, medical expenses, and pain and suffering, which they can pursue by filing an Axiron lawsuit against Eli Lilly & Company. Axiron lawsuits and other TRT lawsuits brought in courts across the country allege that drug makers knew about the potential for their testosterone treatments to cause heart attacks and other side effects in users, yet concealed this risk from the public in order to protect their bottom line.
One of the latest Axiron injury lawsuits was filed by a 69-year-old Texas man who suffered an aortic aneurysm, an enlargement of the artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body, approximately one year after beginning testosterone therapy with Axiron testosterone gel. The plaintiff was prescribed Axiron for symptoms of low testosterone in 2011, and at that time he was healthy and had no history of stroke or blood clots. In January 2013, the plaintiff suffered an aortic aneurysm, which has left him at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease, strokes and death.
