The FDA recently announced a label change for the drug Propecia (commonly marketed as Proscar)- a drug designed to treat male-pattern hair loss and enlarged prostate glands - to include the warning risk of prostate cancer. Propecia, also known as the 5-alpha reductase inhibitor Finasteride, was found to increase the risk of developing high-grade prostate cancer (the most serious form of prostate cancer) after multiple clinical trials [including The Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial (PCPT) and the Reduction by Dutasteride of Prostate Cancer Events (REDUCE)].

Propecia is known to cause Erectile Dysfunction (ED), testicular pain or discomfort, itching, swelling, and a decreased sexual drive. These effects  may be caused after just 1mg of Propecia a day, and may continue even after discontinued use of the drug. Although a nationwide class action lawsuit was filed in Canada against Merck & Co., the manufacturer of Propencia, no class action suit has been filed yet in the U.S. There has, however, been hundreds of individual lawsuits filed against Merck & Co. from men who have suffered emotionally and physically from the drug and claim that the manufacturer failed to adequately warn consumers of their product's potential risks.