Men Across the Country Claim Propecia Sexual Dysfunction

Newark, NJNine men are claiming that Propecia side effects include sexual dysfunction, even after they stopped using the hair loss treatment, according to the Courthouse News Service.

span itemprop="image" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageObject" style="display:block">Merck, the manufacturer of Propecia, markets the drug as "a safe treatment with little risk," while the plaintiffs claim that finasteride, the active ingredient, "prevents the conversion of androgen testosterone to DHT (dihydrotestosterone) in the scalp."

The plaintiffs claim that DHT is critical to male sexual performance and that Merck should have known this, according to the lawsuit.

Additionally, according to the complaint, the men claim that while Propecia's label was updated overseas to include the risk of persistent erectile dysfunction after stopping use of the drug, that update was not made in the US.

In the suit, the men, who come from seven different states and the District of Columbia, are seeking punitive damages for product liability and negligence.

Propecia is a tablet that is typically taken once per day, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information.