Propecia Settlements to Address Cancer Risks

Public Citizen, a consumer watchdog group, has set a new class of drugs in their sights: 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (5-ARI). Also known as 5α-Reductase inhibitors, this group includes medications such as Avodart, Proscar, Propecia and related drugs. In an October 2011 newsletter, Public Citizen warned consumers to cease use of these medications, which are now shown to have links with increased risks of high-grade prostate cancer.

Possibly Propecia Side Effects

Propecia, the commercial name for finasteride, is a low-dosage medication prescribed to treat male pattern baldness. The drug has several sexual side effects, including male breast cancer, decreased semen production, erectile dysfunction, testicular pain, and high-grade prostate cancer. When Propecia first hit the market in 1997, Merck, the drug's manufacturer, warned of the risks and alleged that Propecia's sexual side effects would persist until patients stopped treatment. However, studies revealed that side effects could be persistent, long-term and even permanent.

In June 2011, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety alert warning that 5-ARI drugs could cause an increased risk of high-grade prostate cancer. The organization also required pharmaceutical companies to update their product warning labels accordingly. This action, coupled with anecdotal evidence and study results, helped mobilize many affected patients, who filed lawsuits against Merck.

Plaintiffs in Propecia lawsuits cite the physical and emotional pain they suffered after taking the hair-loss remedy. What they believed to be temporary side effects soon were revealed to be long-term and/or permanent – and with devastating results. Lives changed, and some plaintiffs explain that Propecia's side effects were severe enough to end their marriages.

Propecia Misinformation and Potential Lawsuits

Dr. Valerie Ulene, a board-certified specialist in preventative medicine, explains that the root issue in these types of cases is risk assessment: if patients are not adequately warned of a drug's side effects, then it is impossible for them to weigh a medication's risks versus rewards. In this case, Merck did not inform the public that Propecia's sexual side effects could last a lifetime.

Although Propecia lawsuits have not yet been consolidated into a mass tort lawsuit or multi-district litigation (MDL), plaintiff numbers are growing. Several regional class action suits already exist in the United States and Canada, and Propecia lawyers expect that future out-of-court settlements could be substantial.