Do we need to regulate testosterone clinics?

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Nowadays, men in their 40s … are constantly being urged to get their testosterone levels checked, as private clinics and online providers tout “testosterone replacement therapy” as the way to improve sexual, physical and mental well-being. It’s a concerning development in TRT’s two-decade journey from being a niche therapy to a lifestyle panacea.

There’s a danger that opting for TRT as a cure-all means health issues such as obesity aren’t appropriately addressed, while young men risk impaired fertility and a lifetime of unnecessary and costly injections.

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The FDA regulates drug approvals, not the practice of medicine, and hence clinics aren’t prevented from dispensing testosterone off-label, providing patients are informed of the risks. But in an emailed statement, the regulator warned it has “not approved any testosterone or estrogen products to slow, stop or reverse the biological aging process in men or women,” nor has it evaluated “the effectiveness and the safety of these hormone therapies when used off-label in the manner as described.”

Note: Includes various testosterone products and covers retail, mail and long-term care pharmacies. Not all these prescriptions relate to TRT. Credit: IQVIA
[M]essing with your hormones isn’t something you should do lightly.

This is an excerpt. Read the original post here

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