LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A West Hollywood pharmacy, a Santa Monica integrative medicine center, two doctors and a pharmacist are being sued by members of a family who allege that the husband's use of a topical testosterone product caused unexpected medical problems in his wife and children after they came in physical contact with him.
Andrew and Tiziana Simpson filed the lawsuit Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court against Great Earth Compounding Pharmacy, the Akasha Center for Integrative Medicine and physicians there who allegedly prescribed the bio- identical hormone therapy replacement cream to Andrew Simpson. The doctors failed to warn him that accidental testosterone exposure in women and children who live or interact closely with men using the product is a ``serious problem,'' the suit states.
The suit alleges negligence, breach of warranty, fraud and misrepresentation. The family seeks unspecified damages.
Representatives for the pharmacy and the Akasha Center could not be immediately reached for comment.
According to the complaint, Andrew Simpson, now 51, began using the testosterone cream product prescribed to him by Akasha Center doctors in April 2014. Simpson's medical records showed that he was married with two children, the suit states.
The Food and Drug Administration had warned doctors as early as 2009 that children exposed to testosterone may suffer from inappropriate virilization, which refers to the development of male secondary sexual characteristics, according to the complaint.
Simpson was never informed of the risks of the product and did not know until April 2016 that his use of the product was causing ``severe adverse medical problems to his family,'' the suit states. His wife, now 44, developed ``gynecological conditions'' and underwent a premature hysterectomy, the suit states.
The couple's son, age 10, and daughter, who is 5 years old, ``developed enlarged reproductive organs, growth of pubic hair, advanced bone age, precocious puberty, virilization, abnormally increased growth and aggressive behavior,'' according to the complaint.
``Plaintiffs ... are left uncertain about the prognosis of (their children) and their future health conditions,'' the suit states.
Andrew Simpson would never have used the product if he knew of its potential effects on his wife and children, according to the complaint.