B.C. judge OKs class-action lawsuit over erectile dysfunction link to drug for baldness, prostate issues

VANCOUVER - Men who suffered ongoing erectile dysfunction after taking prescription drugs to treat prostate problems and male pattern baldness will be able to pursue a class-action lawsuit against the drug maker, a B.C. judge has ruled.

The lawsuit was brought by Michael Miller against Merck Frosst Canada, makers of Propecia and Proscar, two drugs that contain the medication finasteride.

Miller was 25 in 2008, when he said he obtained a prescription for Proscar from his doctor, according to a written court ruling.

Although that drug is for the treatment of prostate problems, it contains the same medication as Propecia, used to treat male pattern baldness.

Miller said he was advised to cut the five milligram tablet into four, making it roughly the same as the more expensive one-milligram Propecia tablets.

"Approximately one month after using Proscar the plaintiff alleges he experienced a diminished sex drive," said the March 28 written decision by B.C. Supreme Court Justice Robert Punnett posted Tuesday on the court website.

"Over the ensuing months, he became completely disinterested in sexual activity and was unable to maintain an erection."

Miller came across a website where other men linked sexual dysfunction to the drugs months after they had stopped taking them, and he discontinued use at the end of January 2009, "expecting that these alleged side effects would disappear."

They did not, the lawsuit claims, and Miller launched the class-action.

"The plaintiff asserts that the defendants were aware of the long-term side effects and that the warnings given in Canada were inadequate," the judge noted in his ruling.

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B.C. judge OKs class-action lawsuit over erectile dysfunction link to drug for baldness, prostate issues