Cohen & Malad, LLP has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Roy H. Smyer and Sabrina M. Smyer in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles against Actavis Inc., formerly known as Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc., the maker of the prescription testosterone drug Androderm®. Smyer suffered from a pulmonary embolism which required prolonged hospitalization shortly after being prescribed Androderm® as a testosterone replacement therapy.
The FDA recently announced it would begin investigating prescription testosterone therapy drugs for an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. This announcement comes after findings were released in the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Public Library of Science indicating that some men on testosterone therapy demonstrated a 30% increased risk for cardiovascular problems.
Drug manufacturers have used aggressive tactics to market testosterone treatment to men suggesting that symptoms like fatigue, obesity, muscle weakness, and low libido may indicate a condition called “low T” urging them to see a doctor. Prescriptions for testosterone have tripled since 2001. Industry revenues are projected to exceed $5 billion by 2017.
Cohen & Malad, LLP has been speaking with numerous men who have used prescription testosterone therapy drugs like Androderm®, AndroGel®, Axiron® and others and have suffered serious personal injury.
“We have spoken to men who have suffered pulmonary embolisms, heart attacks, and strokes within a very short time frame of starting testosterone replacement therapy. Many of these men had no prior history of heart disease,” stated Jeff Gibson of Cohen & Malad, LLP. “We expect the number of lawsuits against these drug manufacturers to increase significantly.”