Plaintiff Alleges Testosterone Heart Attack in Lawsuit

Philadelphia, PAThe latest volley in the debate over the safety of testosterone supplementation was fired across the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas through the filing of a testosterone lawsuit alleging grievous health issues following use of Fortesta gel.

The latter is a product from a manufacturer based in the UK, but used by Georgia resident Demetric Taylor. The plaintiff in the lawsuit alleges that Prostrakan Group PLC (Prostrakan) led both he and his doctor to believe that Fortesta was safe and effective in rolling back the testosterone clock.

Instead, according to court documents, use of Fortesta gel led to Taylor suffering a testosterone heart attack. Fortesta is licensed to Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Endo) for US sales.

“Defendants’ advertisements suggest that various symptoms often associated with other conditions may be caused by low testosterone and encourage men to discuss testosterone replacement therapy with their doctors if they experienced any of the ‘symptoms’ of low testosterone,” the lawsuit alleges, according to court documents. “These ‘symptoms’ include listlessness, increased body fat and moodiness - all general symptoms that are often a result of aging, weight gain or lifestyle, rather than low testosterone.”

Testosterone supplements have been the subject of much debate in recent years, even though testosterone supplementation has been around, in one form or another, for decades. For those men who suffer from chronic low testosterone or conditions such as hypogonadism (undescended testes), the need for testosterone supplementation is deemed to be a sound medical intervention.

However - and this, in spite of the fact it is considered normal for testosterone levels in men to slowly diminish with age - a wave of testosterone product and marketing has cascaded across the US, suggesting to men with depleted energy levels that use of testosterone gels are akin to the elusive fountain of youth.

Critics contend that use of testosterone supplements in the absence of an accurate diagnosis confirming severe and chronic loss of testosterone is both medically unnecessary and potentially dangerous, with a host of testosterone side effects - many of them serious.

Along with the possibility of heart attack, a patient taking testosterone supplementation in the absence of real medical need runs the risk of suffering testosterone stroke, or worse…

Testosterone death, in rare cases.

Testosterone sales continue to shoot higher

Taylor and his doctor contend they were misled by the defendant’s claims that low testosterone was a treatable disease and by withholding the risks associated with testosterone supplementation in its marketing material.

Taylor, who is joined in his testosterone lawsuit by his wife, does admit they were aware of the side effects and dangers.

Court records did not reveal when Taylor actually suffered his heart attack - alleged to be a testosterone heart attack. Taylor also did not reveal the damages he and his wife are seeking.

Testosterone supplements are aggressively marketed, with some manufacturers maintaining websites that allow perspective patients to undertake a self-diagnosis online based on criteria that critics decry as woefully inadequate and no substitute for a sound medical diagnosis. Proponents of self-diagnosis point out that it provides a prospective testosterone patient with information through which a patient can initiate a dialogue with a family physician.

And doctors have apparently bought in, as sales of testosterone products have seen massive growth. Health advocates acknowledge that while chronically low testosterone can have negative health effects, testosterone levels that are too high can also pose serious health consequences.

Lawyers expect a flurry of legal activity moving forward.

The case is Taylor et al v. Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., Case No. 140500775 in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County.