Testosterone: What to Ask About a Claim in Illinois

Illinois is the home district of MDL 2545 — In re: Testosterone Replacement Therapy Products Liability Litigation — consolidated before Judge Matthew Kennelly in the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, in Chicago. The MDL is largely resolved and is no longer on the JPML's list of pending MDLs (Oct. 1, 2026 report); an attorney can say whether any route remains for a new claim.

Illinois imposes a two-year statute of limitations for personal injury and products liability under 735 ILCS 5/13-202 and 5/13-213. The discovery rule, well-established in Illinois, defers accrual until the plaintiff knew or reasonably should have known of the injury and its probable cause — including the causal connection to TRT products. Illinois courts apply the discovery rule liberally in pharmaceutical injury cases. For TRT cardiovascular claims, limitations typically accrues when the plaintiff is informed by a treating physician or attorney of the potential link between TRT use and the cardiac event.

Illinois — particularly Chicago and its suburbs — has a high concentration of men prescribed TRT products between 2008 and 2016. The Chicago metro area's major academic medical centers, including Northwestern Memorial, Rush University Medical Center, and University of Chicago Medicine, treated many TRT-associated cardiovascular events. Illinois also has significant TRT prescribing outside Chicago, including Peoria, Rockford, and Springfield. Cardiovascular disease rates in Illinois men aged 45–65 are above the national average, overlapping substantially with the TRT-using demographic.