Come May, AbbVie to face Another AndroGel Bellwether Trial

Come May, AbbVie to face Another AndroGel Bellwether Trial

Introduction

Testosterone Replacement Therapy lawsuits are centralized before U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly in the Northern District of Illinois for coordinated discovery and management, as part of a federal multidistrict litigation (MDL) 2545 (In re: Testosterone Replacement Therapy Products Liability Litigation). According to the bellwether program established by Judge Kennelly, defendant AbbVie will face another trial in May for its product AndroGel. The plaintiff holds AbbVie responsible for the bilateral pulmonary embolism he suffered in February 2008 caused by the side effects of AndroGel. Last month, a federal jury ordered AbbVie to pay roughly $3.2 million to the plaintiff, who claims he suffered a heart attack while using AndroGel.

As AbbVie has shown no signs of settling the AndroGel lawsuits, the litigation will proceed as per schedule. Judge Kennelly released a court order on April 19, according to which he scheduled trials between October 2, 2018, and March 4, 2019, for 19 selected cases, to be presided by 12 U.S. District Judges. Decisions taken for the two upcoming AndroGel bellwether trials, scheduled for May and June trials, will influence these cases.