Attorney Brett A. Emison has published “Testosterone Therapy’s Link to Heart Attack, Stroke and Death: What You Need to Know.” The iBook is available on iTunes and is the first to be published on the subject of the dangers of testosterone therapy.
The book addresses the dangers to consumers but also how the manufacturers created an almost mythical disease of “Low-T,” out of the natural aging process. Brett’s analysis of the situation focuses on the risk of heart attack for some men that recent studies have linked to the application of testosterone gels.
“Millions of men across the country have received various forms of testosterone replacement therapy,” Brett writes. “In fact, testosterone supplements have seen remarkable growth in recent years following aggressive marketing promising to help men improve their energy levels and low sex drive.”
AbbVie, formerly Abbott Laboratories, which manufactures industry-leading AndroGel, has had annual sales of more than a billion dollars. Industry-wide, annual prescriptions for testosterone have increased 500 percent from 2000 through 2011. Sales of testosterone replacement therapies are expected to reach $5 billion within the next three years.
Reports, however, suggest that many men may have needlessly received testosterone therapies due to the industry’s overly aggressive marketing and off-label promotion. Even worse, studies published in 2013 and 2014 have indicated that testosterone gels can double or even triple the risk of heart attack for some men.
“Testosterone supplements have been approved by the FDA for limited specific conditions caused by documented low testosterone levels or Low T. Despite the limitation, Testosterone prescriptions doubled in just four years between 2008 and 2012, due largely to aggressive advertisements from testosterone makers directly targeting men. But with off-label marketing, many men are receiving testosterone replacement therapy without Low T levels and for unapproved uses. In recent years such off-label use has included fatigue and diminished libido. CBS News reported that nearly 43 percent of men receiving testosterone therapy had a normal hormone level.”
Brett’s book was published on May 23, 2014. The book’s AppleID is 880762679.
About Brett Emison
Brett focuses his practice on mass torts and other personal injury litigation. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys (MATA) and is involved in a number of legal organizations, including the Attorneys Information Exchange Group (AIEG), American Association for Justice (AAJ), Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association (KCMBA), and the Lafayette County Bar Association.
During law school at the University of Missouri – Columbia, Brett served as Associate Editor-in-Chief of the Missouri Law Review and received Order of the Coif honors. Following graduation, Brett worked as judicial law clerk for the Honorable William Ray Price, Jr. of the Supreme Court of Missouri. He then practiced in the area of commercial litigation for a renowned Kansas City law firm before joining Langdon & Emison, where the firm’s collective experience, focus, and resources have maximized the recovery for his clients, with total verdicts and settlements exceeding half a billion dollars.