A federal jury has awarded $150 million to an Oregon man who claimed AbbVie Inc. misrepresented the safety of a prescription gel used to treat low testosterone.
Monday’s verdict is the first to come out of nearly 6,000 lawsuits alleging that testosterone replacement therapies caused heart attacks, strokes and blood clots. The cases also alleged that the drugs’ manufacturers, in an effort to boost sales, made false statements in an aggressive advertising and marketing campaign about how many men actually suffered from low testosterone — rather than just the effects of old age. The multidistrict litigation, which involves other defendants such as Eli Lilly & Co., has been coordinated before U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly of the Northern District of Illinois, who is overseeing bellwether trials in Chicago.
