In the April, 2013 edition of BMC Medicine, L. Xu et al. published the results of a study titled “Testosterone therapy and cardiovascular events among men: a systematic review and meta-analysis of placebo-controlled randomized trials.”. This study sought to assess the relative safety of testosterone therapy with respect to adverse cardiac events. The research team writes “Testosterone therapy is increasingly promoted” and notes “No randomized placebo-controlled trial has been implemented to assess the effect of testosterone therapy on cardiovascular events, although very high levels of androgens are thought to promote cardiovascular disease.”
To perform this meta-analysis, Xu et al. (2013) reviewed previously-published randomized controlled studies involving testosterone administration and used statistics to normalize the results. “Of 1,882 studies identified 27 trials were eligible including 2,994, mainly older, men who experienced 180 cardiovascular-related events.” Overall, results showed that “Testosterone therapy increased the risk of a cardiovascular-related event” by 54%.
Importantly, this study also revealed that “In trials not funded by the pharmaceutical industry the risk of a cardiovascular-related event on testosterone therapy was greater (OR 2.06, 95% CI 1.34 to 3.17) than in pharmaceutical industry funded trials (OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.50 to 1.60).”
This means that studies funded by the pharmaceutical industry found testosterone therapy to have no connection with adverse cardiac events, while independent studies found testosterone therapy more than doubles the risk for adverse cardiac events.
Due to the fact that the manufacturers of testosterone therapy products such as AndroGel, a popular topical testosterone gel, have failed time and again to warn users of the risk for cardiac arrest, stroke, and death associated with AndroGel, a number of AndroGel lawsuits have been filed. If you or a loved one used AndroGel and suffered one of these side effects, you may be entitled to significant financial compensation for your injury. For a free, no-obligation case consultation, contact our team of AndroGel lawyers at the information provided below. We have the experience, resources, and skills required to win the compensation you deserve.
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Our AndroGel Lawsuit Information page is a great place to start if you have any questions about AndroGel.