A recent Forbes article explores the prevalence of “Low-T” drug ads by companies like AbbVie and Eli Lilly & Co., and how two men’s health experts think the advertisements should be banned.
Testosterone therapy products have been associated with an increased risk of serious cardiovascular health effects. A study published in November 2013 linked testosterone therapy to increased rates of heart attack, stroke, and death. Another study in 2014 analyzed the risk of myocardial infarction in over 55,000 testosterone drug patients, and found a significant increase in the rate of myocardial infarction in men using testosterone therapy—especially those 65 years and older.
According to a new study, the last decade has seen a 10-fold increase in the number of testosterone prescriptions in the United States, and a 40-fold increase in Canadian prescriptions. Forbes notes that while a significant portion of men suffer from legitimate testosterone-lowering conditions, the majority of those who receive prescriptions are taking testosterone to combat the natural effects of aging. Companies like AbbVie and Eli Lilly are marketing “the idea that men go through something similar to menopause, where they have these marked declines in testosterone and all these symptoms that we normally attribute to aging,” one of the study’s authors says. “They say, ‘If we give you testosterone, it will reverse the problem.’ It was a wildly successful ad campaign. We consider it to be disease mongering.”
In March of this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requested that testosterone drug manufacturers update testosterone drug labels to clarify that Low-T products are intended “only for men who have low testosterone levels due to disorders of the testicles, pituitary gland or brain that cause a condition called hypogonadism.”
Over 1,500 men who have suffered cardiovascular health problems have filed testosterone lawsuits against the manufacturers of testosterone therapy products like Androgel, Axiron, and Testim, alleging that these Low-T medications were responsible for their injuries. Many plaintiffs in testosterone lawsuits also allege that the companies producing these drugs, such as AbbVie and Eli Lilly, engaged in deceptive marketing practices.
Speak with your doctor or physician if you have any questions about suspending or switching medications. If you or a loved one suffered a cardiovascular injury after using a testosterone therapy product, contact the Low-T lawyers at Lopez McHugh today for a free consultation. You may be eligible to join the testosterone multidistrict litigation with your own testosterone lawsuit.
