A Florida man recently joined more than 30 additional plaintiffs taking action against Pfizer with claims that their blockbuster drug Viagra caused melanoma skin cancer.
Gerald F. Grey filed his Viagra melanoma lawsuit on May 12 i Man files Viagra Metastatic Melanoma Lawsuit against Pfizer the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida. Here, Grey alleges that Pfizer knew or should have known that the drug Viagra may increase the risk of melanoma but that they willfully failed to warn of this serious side effect. As a result of this alleged negligence, he claims that he was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma.
Viagra (sildenafil citrate) has become a wildly popular prescription drug since it was approved by the FDA in 1998. Viagra is used to treat erectile dysfunction, male impotence, and the inability to develop or keep an erection. The popularity of Viagra has been in large part due to aggressive direct-to-consumer advertising which leads men to believe that this small pill will help them to feel more vigorous, enjoy a better lifestyle, and will greatly enhance their romantic relationships. However, a growing number of men now claim that they have developed melanoma as a side effect of Viagra and are attempting to hold Pfizer responsible for their suffering and damages.
According to Grey’s lawsuit, he began to use Viagra in 2002 and continued to use the drug to treat erectile dysfunction until April 2016. He was diagnosed with malignant melanoma skin cancer in March 2014, and biopsies taken during a wide incision of his left chest wall showed that the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes. He underwent a lymph node dissection on the left side in August 2014. Now, he claims he must undergo regular check-ups to ensure the cancer has not returned and be vigilant in protecting himself from sun exposure. The American Cancer Society states that metastatic melanoma is much more difficult to treat than localized melanoma, and roughly 6,750 men are expected to die from melanoma this year in the United States.
Multiple recent studies have linked Viagra to a higher risk of melanoma skin cancer. The journal JAMA Internal Medicine published research in April 2014 that suggested Viagra is “significantly associated with increased risk of melanoma,” and that the risk of melanoma may be up to 84% higher for men who take Viagra than for those who do not.
It is believed that Viagra may affect a protein called PDE5A, which is instrumental in killing cancer cells. Mr. Grey mentions this protein specifically in his Viagra lawsuit, stating, “While designing and formulating Viagra, Pfizer discovered or should have discovered that the drug’s mechanism of action, the inhibition of PDE5, also presented a significant risk of the development and/or exacerbation of melanoma. Despite these significant findings, Pfizer has made no efforts in its ubiquitous Viagra advertisements to warn users about the potential risk of developing and/or exacerbating melanoma that has been scientifically linked to its drug.”
In April, all federal Viagra melanoma lawsuits were centralized before U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg in the Northern District of California. Mr. Grey’s lawsuit will also be consolidated into this multidistrict litigation (MDL) for pretrial proceedings. According to the most recent court documents, there are now at least 30 individual Viagra lawsuits held in this MDL.
If you or a man you love has been diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer after using Viagra, you could have grounds to pursue compensation based on claims that Pfizer negligently failed to warn of this dangerous side effect. To learn more about Viagra lawsuits, please contact us to schedule a free legal consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer.
