A federal court in Chicago yesterday ordered AbbVie Inc. to pay $150 million in punitive damages to an Oregon man who accused the company of misleading him and his doctor about the risks of AndroGel, according to press reports.
In 2012, the 54-year-old man, Jesse Mitchell, suffered a heart attack after taking the testasterone booster over a four-year period.
While jurors hit AbbVie with the $150 million judgment, they did not award Mitchell any compensatory damages stemming from the heart attack. The jury found that while AbbVie falsely marketed the drug, the company was not negligent or strictly liable for the man’s heart attack.
The company had argued that factors other than AndroGel contributed to Mitchell’s heart attack, including smoking, high cholesterol, and weight.
(Sources: Bloomberg; FirstWord Pharma)
