In 2012, Merck added a caution that the drug could cause sexual dysfunction and depression, triggering a wave of client lawsuits.Nonetheless, the drugs appeal continued to grow. Annual U.S. prescriptions of finasteride increased to over 2.4 million in 2020, more than double the number in 2015, according to health data business IQVIA.The Post-Finasteride Syndrome Foundation was founded in 2012 to support research into post-finasteride syndrome, a term usage by some scientists to explain persistent side impacts of the drug.In 2017, the group petitioner the FDA to either pull the drug from the market or add a “black box” caution– used for the most serious side effects– that the drug might lead to self-destructive thoughts.In Wednesdays claim, the structure stated the firm had unlawfully stopped working to act despite “sufficient proof” that the drug was associated with a greater danger of suicide.It pointed out a current Reuters report, based on freshly unsealed court documents, that Merck and the FDA knew of reports of suicidal thoughts in Propecia patients in 2011, when the agency was thinking about the included warning that eventually made no reference of suicide. For complainant: Michael Kirkpatrick and Adina Rosenbaum of Public Citizen Litigation GroupFor FDA: Not availableRead more: Merck anti-baldness drug Propecia has long trail of suicide reports, records showBrendan PiersonBrendan Pierson reports on product liability litigation and on all locations of health care law.
