Propecia Litigation Update

New York, NYMany individuals who have filed Propecia lawsuits are keeping close tabs on the upcoming litigation regarding Propecia impotence and other Propecia side effects.

Propecia was approved by the FDA in 1997 for treatment of male pattern hair loss and is manufactured by Merck.

At the end of January 2014, a Civil Conference indicated that the selection of bellwether cases in the Propecia Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) had gained some momentum (U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, MDL 2331 - IN RE: Propecia-Finasteride Products Liability Litigation). And another Case Management Conference in the Propecia Litigation is slated for April 23 (MCL 623, Superior Court of New Jersey, Middlesex County).

As of March 13, 2014, there are 740 cases pending in the Propecia MDL, according to court data updated by the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. The plaintiffs allege that Merck failed to warn on Propecia side effects that could cause permanent and devastating sexual dysfunction.

Last fall a Propecia lawsuit was filed by 61-year-old Warren Shepherd in the New York Eastern District in Brooklyn. Shepherd claimed that Merck’s Propecia and Proscar are “dangerously defective and cause multiple significant side effects.” This claim brought the number of cases up to 700.

In August 2013, The Post-Finasteride Syndrome (PFS) Foundation at the Baylor College of Medicine announced that a new clinical study had been funded. Titled “Genetic and Epigenetic Studies on Post-Finasteride Syndrome Patients,” the goal of the study is to determine why PFS, which includes Propecia, has been linked to sexual dysfunction in Propecia users. The Foundation found that PFS occurs in men who have taken the prescription drug finasteride to treat hair loss (under the brand name Propecia and generics) or enlarged prostates (Proscar and generics).

In the wake of increased Propecia sexual dysfunction awareness, claims continue to be filed. Many consumers think that they don’t have a claim because they used Propecia several years ago, prior to this discovery, and think they can no longer file a lawsuit due to the statute of limitations. In some jurisdictions, however, the statute of limitations on these Propecia claims does not begin until an injured party knows or should have known exactly what caused adverse side effects directly related to taking the drug. For instance, a consumer may not have known about Propecia impotence and sexual dysfunction linked to claims until seeing an ad on television. If you suspect that Propecia has caused harm, you should consider seeking a Propecia attorney.