Category Archives: Testosterone Information

Boys will be boys. We fight, we apologize, and we enjoy some cold ones the next day like nothing happened. That fraternal feeling may never reach some feuding biotech companies, which seem to find the courtroom as familiar as the research lab. At the center of it all is the hormone that defines masculinity itself: testosterone. Feel the irony? By now you've probably seen a commercial on TV or a full page print ad for AbbVie's (NYSE: ABBV) AndroGel -- the leading testosterone replacement therapy, or TRT, on the market. And you shouldn't expect the marketing barrage to end any time soon. More and more companies are following demographics into the more than $2 billion U.S. market for TRTs, which is expected to grow to $5 billion by 2017 -- roughly the same size as the erectile dysfunction market today. Does the rush to resupply the world's manliness amount to opportunity or disaster for AbbVie? It may just depend on your timeline. First to market, first to fallAbbVie acquired AndroGel in its $6.2 billion acquisition of Solvay Pharmaceuticals in 2010. Given the drug's $1.19 billion in sales last year, the acquisition could more than pay for itself. While the company … Read more »

Exclusive FEARS have been raised among players that the practice of micro-doping common in sports such as cycling and athletics might have been practised by rogue individuals in the AFL. Concerns have been expressed to the AFL Players Association that a small number of players might have been taking tiny, undetectable amounts of performance-enhancing substances such as testosterone and human growth hormone, or its equivalents. The AFLPA has been made aware that players might have used arm patches similar to nicotine patches that contain testosterone, or have used creams with properties similar to HGH. These concerns, while not widespread, have also been aired at club level. The concerns raised are that these practices, although far from routine and certainly underground, are suspected to have been used by rogue players across different clubs. Concerns about possible micro-doping have been raised after the investigation into whether Essendon took performance-enhancing drugs, though these fears are not pointing directly to the Bombers, who have taken the dramatic step of announcing a review of governance and processes at the club, to be carried out by former Telstra boss Ziggy Switkowski. Former Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority chief executive Richard Ings said micro-doping was the method of … Read more »

Testosterone deficiency is exceedingly less common than marketing campaigns and "you only think you feel fine" culture would have us believe. By now you've likely seen the commercials. Fit-looking middle-age men telling you how they put on weight, had less energy, and were no longer the sexual tigers they were in their twenties -- until, that is, they started rubbing testosterone gel on their shoulder, upper arm, or abdomen. Now they feel more like the men they used to be. The commercials don't mention a 2009 study in the New England Journal of Medicinewherein a group of men ontestosterone replacement therapyhad more than four times the number of cardiovascular problems -- so many that the study had to be halted. They also don't make clear how risky exposure to testosterone gel is for others -- female partners, children, even pets. The gel is actually notorious for transferring to others. It can cause excess hair to grow on women's faces and arms, deepen their voices, interrupt menstruation, and make them anxious and irritable. In children, exposure to testosterone gels and creams can cause premature puberty and aggression. And in pets, it can cause aggressive behavior and enlargement of the genitalia. Commercials … Read more »

Exclusive FEARS have been raised among players that the practice of micro-doping common in sports such as cycling and athletics might have been practised by rogue individuals in the AFL. Concerns have been expressed to the AFL Players Association that a small number of players might have been taking tiny, undetectable amounts of performance-enhancing substances such as testosterone and human growth hormone, or its equivalents. The AFLPA has been made aware that players might have used arm patches similar to nicotine patches that contain testosterone, or have used creams with properties similar to HGH. These concerns, while not widespread, have also been aired at club level. The concerns raised are that these practices, although far from routine and certainly underground, are suspected to have been used by rogue players across different clubs. Concerns about possible micro-doping have been raised after the investigation into whether Essendon took performance-enhancing drugs, though these fears are not pointing directly to the Bombers, who have taken the dramatic step of announcing a review of governance and processes at the club, to be carried out by former Telstra boss Ziggy Switkowski. Former Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority chief executive Richard Ings said micro-doping was the method of … Read more »

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The number of men taking prescription testosterone over the past decade has sky rocketed. It promises to do everything from boost your energy to increase your libido, even help get rid of that spare tire around your waist. But along with it comes warnings. A recent study found that despite the benefits of testosterone, some men should use it with caution. The study, along with others, shows prescription testosterone raised the risk of heart attacks in men with a history of heart disease, so it's pretty serious stuff. But talk to men who are dealing with symptoms of low testosterone and they'll tell you their quality of life was pretty seriously lacking, until they got their testosterone replacement therapy. "From the age of 50 on, for the most part, I noticed that my drive wasn't there," explained Bill Lane. Lane has been active all his life, but when he hit that milestone age of 50, he says he noticed things were changing. "I noticed a major decline in my sports performance, sleep factor, body fat," he said. Four years after feeling those symptoms, Lane finally saw Beaches Internist Dr. Anthony Capasso for a blood test. He said … Read more »

Considering supplements to combat low testosterone? You may want a second opinion. A new study has found that testosterone supplements, designed at boosting testosterone or T levels in men, can cause complications with sex drive, mood, energy, and whats worse: it may increase your chance of heart problems and even death. Researchers found a link betweentestosterone drugs and heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular events during the first three months of therapy, with the incidence of heart disease nearly doubling in not only patients younger than 65 (with a history of heart disease) but also in patients over 65 (without a history of heart disease). Although this is no new phenomenon, it should cause some to wonder if they really need the therapy or should just live with Low T. The study is changing the conversation about Low T and prompting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to update their labeling on the medication. Whereas prior studies only examined a small sample size of the population, this most recent study expanded its scope, and has the potential to make testosterone therapy less desirable, especially to younger users. Due to the size of our study, we were able to examine … Read more »

By MATTHEW PERRONE AP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - A consumer advocacy group is calling on the Food and Drug Administration to add a bold warning label to popular testosterone drugs for men in light of growing evidence that the hormone treatments can increase the risk of heart attack. The group Public Citizen says the agency should immediately add a "black box" warning - the most serious type - to all testosterone medications and require manufacturers to warn physicians about a higher risk of heart attack, stroke and death with the treatments. The FDA announced last month that it was reviewing the safety of drugs like the blockbuster testosterone gel, AndroGel, in light of two recent studies that showed higher rates of cardiovascular problems in men. The agency said its review was first prompted by a U.S. Veterans Affairs study published in November 2013 that showed a 30 percent increase in stroke, heart attack and death among older men taking testosterone. In January, a federally funded study of 45,000 men suggested testosterone therapy could double the risk of heart attacks in men 65 and older. But Public Citizen says studies published as early as 2010 should have prompted FDA action. … Read more »

Low levels of the sex hormone testosterone commonly referred to as "low T" have been blamed for a host of health conditions, ranging from depression to increased breast size in men. And because low T can be treated with prescription medication, it has become the health problem du jour for aggressive pharmaceutical marketing: The airwaves are now flooded with ads showing doughy, middle-age men turning into vigorous athletes and confident lovers. Is low T a real condition that needs medical treatment despite the potential risks associated with testosterone therapy or is it just a pharma sales rep's dream come true? The answer may lie in determining what exactly constitutes a low testosterone level. [Macho Man: 10 Wild Facts About His Body] What causes low T? Testosterone is produced by a man's testicles and is key to the development of male sex organs, bone density, muscle mass and secondary sex characteristics such as facial and body hair. Women's ovaries also produce small amounts of testosterone, as do the adrenal glands, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Low levels of testosterone referred to as hypogonadism by hormone specialists can result from injury to the testicles, diseases including testicular cancer and … Read more »

The risk of stroke, heart attack and death in men taking testosterone supplements is currently under investigation by the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA announced last week its investigation into FDA-approved testosterone products was spurred by two recent published studies, both of which suggest increased risk of cardiovascular events among groups of men prescribed testosterone therapy. A group of nine Mercy Health physicians have also published their own research studies on the negative impacts of testosterone use in men with underlying blood clotting disorders, said Dr. Charles Glueck, medical director of the Mercy Health - Cholesterol and Metabolism Center. Those found with underlying blood clotting disorders who also use testosterone are more likely to get blood clots in their legs, lungs and bones, Glueck said. These studies now tell us when testosterone is prescribed you have to be very careful, Glueck said. It puts you at substantially increased risk. Andrea Fischer, spokeswoman for the FDA, said testosterone products are FDA-approved only for use in men who have low testosterone levels in connection with an associated medical condition. Those conditions could include failure of the testicles to produce testosterone due to genetic problems or chemotherapy, as well as problems with … Read more »

WASHINGTON -- Drugmaker Endo Pharmaceuticals announced Thursday that it received U.S. approval from the Food and Drug Administration for its long-acting testosterone injection Aveed, which joins a crowded field of hormone-boosting drugs aimed at aging American men. The Irish drugmaker said the FDA approved Aveed for men with low testosterone, a condition sometimes associated with fatigue, weight gain and low libido. Endo's injection is to be taken once every 10 weeks, versus weekly or biweekly dosing for currently available products. The company said in a statement it expects to launch the drug this month. The Dublin-based company already markets Fortesta, a prescription gel form of testosterone, the male hormone that begins to decline after age 40. Play Video Testosterone therapy may be gaining in popularity, but a new UCLA study found that within 90 days of starting treatment, the risk of heart attack... In January the FDA said it was reviewing the safety of the drugs after a federal study of 45,000 patients suggested testosterone therapy could double the risk of heart attack in men 65 and older. Last month the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen called on FDA regulators to add a bold, black box warning label about the … Read more »