New Propecia Lawsuit Claims Erectile Dysfunction and Cognitive Impairment

When Paul Priore of New York became concerned about his hair loss, he turned to Propecia, the popular anti-baldness drug. But according to the lawsuit he filed recently, taking the drug left him with erectile dysfunction that has persisted even after he stopped taking the drug. In addition, his lawsuit claims, Propecia has caused Priore cognitive impairment which left him unable to work.

According to his Propecia lawsuit, “The Propecia that he consumed caused him physiological and emotional impairments which affected his personal and professional life.”

Propecia lawsuits lead to MDL and other consolidated litigation

The number of lawsuits is proliferating so rapidly that in both New York and New Jersey, a number of these lawsuits have been consolidated into combined litigation. In New York, an MDL was established on April 16, 2012 in the the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York under Judge John Gleeson.

Meanwhile, in New Jersey, 41 lawsuits were recently consolidated in the Superior Court of Middlesex Country under Judge Jessica R. Mayer.

Propecia label and website updated with new warnings

When Propecia first came on the market in 1992, its label stated that only a small percentage of men experienced sexual side effects, and that in those cases, the symptoms disappeared when men stopped taking the drug. But recent studies have shown that that is not always the case. One recent study found that 3.8% of men experienced long-lasting sexual side effects from taking Propecia even after discontinuing the drug’s use. Another study found that five years after discontinuing the drug, some men were still suffering from these sexual symptoms, and researchers believe in those cases, the effects may be permanent.

A recent FDA report of 421 complaints of sexual side effects found that in 59 of the cases, the complainants were still experiencing erectile dysfunction from Propecia or other sexual side effects three months after they had stopped taking the drug.

As a result of these studies, warnings about the drug have been strengthened on both the drug’s label and its official website. The warning label, which was updated on April 11, 2012, now states that “Propecia may cause loss of sexual desire, inability to ejaculate, and inability to reach orgasm. These sexual dysfunctions may continue for some time after men stop using the baldness drug.” The website now warns that “adverse reactions have been identified” including “sexual dysfunction that continued after treatment.”

Such warnings come too late for plaintiffs like Paul Priore, whose lawsuit claims that Merck’s failure to warn of the persistence and severity of the drug’s side effects is to blame for his ongoing symptoms. Click here for more on this subject.

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