Growing number of drugs target low testosterone

WASHINGTON -- "Are you falling asleep after dinner?"

"Do you have a decrease in libido?"

"Have you noticed a recent deterioration in your ability to play sports?"

"It could be Low-T."

Welcome to the latest big marketing push by U.S. drug companies. In this case, it's a Web page for Abbott Laboratories' Androgel, a testosterone gel with billions in sales used by millions of American men struggling with the symptoms of growing older that are associated with low testosterone, such as poor sex drive, weight gain and fatigue.

Androgel is one of a growing number of prescription gels, patches and injections aimed at boosting the male hormone that begins to decline after about age 40. Drugmakers and some doctors claim testosterone therapy can reverse some of the signs of aging -- even though the safety and effectiveness of such treatments is unclear.

"The problem is that we don't have any evidence that prescribing testosterone to older men with relatively low testosterone levels does any good," said Dr. Sergei Romashkan, who oversees clinical trials for the National Institute on Aging, a part of the National Institutes of Health conglomerate of research centers.

Low testosterone is the latest example of a once-natural part of getting old that has become a target for medical treatment. Bladder problems, brittle bones and hot flashes have followed a similar path: from inconvenient facts of life to ailments that can be treated with drugs. The rise of such therapies is being fueled by both demographics and industry marketing.

Baby boomers are living longer and looking for ways to deal with the infirmities of old age. Life expectancy in the United States today is 78 years, up from 69 years a half-century ago. And companies have stepped up their marketing to the older crowd: Spending on print and television ads promoting testosterone by firms like Abbott and Eli Lilly has risen more than 170 percent in the last three years to more than $14 million in 2011, according to advertising tracker Kantar Media.

Doctors say that's led to an increase in men seeking treatment for low testosterone. Prescriptions for the hormone have increased nearly 90 percent over the past five years, according to IMS Health. Last year, global sales reached $1.9 billion.