Propecia Injury Lawsuit Alleges Sexual Dysfunction, Cognitive Impairment

A new Propecia injury lawsuit has been filed in U.S. District Court. In the recent complaint, the plaintiff alleges he continues to suffer from sexual dysfunction, depression and cognitive impairment since using the hair loss medication a number of years ago.

Propecia injury lawsuit added to federal MDL

The new Propecia lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey on April 10, 2013. The case was transferred to multidistrict litigation (MDL) on April 30. The federal MDL was established in April, 2012, for the purpose of streamlining pre-trial proceedings for cases involving similar complaints against Propecia manufacturer Merck. Since the MDL was established, the docket has grown to more than 250 cases now pending in the federal court in the Eastern District of New York.

In this Propecia injury lawsuit, the plaintiff claims he began taking the hair loss drug in 2009, at the age of 35. He was prescribed the drug as treatment for male pattern baldness, also referred to as androgenic alopecia. The plaintiff states in his complaint that he had no history of sexual problems or cognitive impairment prior to taking the drug.

Since the plaintiff took the drug he has suffered from sexual dysfunction, cognitive impairment and depression. The symptoms of these alleged Propecia side effects have persisted long after the plaintiff stopped taking the drug. To this day, the plaintiff continues to deal with physical and emotional pain and suffering as a direct result of his Propecia use.

The plaintiff also claims that at the time he took Propecia, he was led by manufacturer Merck to believe the drug was safe. The plaintiff further asserts that this assumption was due to the fact that the company markets their drug as a safe way to prevent hair loss and reverse loss that has already occurred. These claims are made by the company, despite ample clinical evidence to the contrary.

Propecia side effects more common than first reported

Propecia was first introduced to the U.S. market as a cosmetic treatment for male pattern baldness in 1997. At the time, the manufacturer did state that a small percentage of users might experience temporary sexual side effects, which typically subsided when the drug was stopped. However, the plaintiff in this Propecia injury lawsuit cites recent studies that suggest the incidence of sexual side effects could occur in as many as 39% of Propecia users. In addition, studies indicate that only half of those users regain normal sexual function after stopping the drug.

The plaintiff also lists other countries that have linked the hair loss drug to possible permanent sexual dysfunction, including Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Italy. In the U.S., the FDA states Merck has made changes to the product label nine times, but not one of those changes has included warnings about the possibility of permanent sexual side effects. Although the FDA announced changes to the Propecia warning label in 2012 that would include persistent sexual side effects, those changes have yet to be made public, according to this complaint.

The plaintiff states that as a result of his Propecia use, he has suffered “severe and debilitating injuries, pain and suffering, economic loss and other damages.” He lists a number of counts against Merck in his lawsuit, including strict liability, negligence, breach of warranty, fraud, and unfair and deceptive trade practices. The plaintiff’s wife is also seeking damages in the complaint, alleging her husband’s injuries have led to her loss of his services and companionship.

The plaintiffs in this complaint are seeking compensatory, special, punitive, exemplary, double, and triple damages from Merck.