What You Need to Know About Viagra and Skin Cancer

Viagra is once again a hot topic, and not because of the remarkable powers of the little blue pill. With hundreds of lawsuits flooding the justice system, a link between the erectile dysfunction medication and aggressive skin cancer is becoming more and more apparent. The lucky victims are filing their own lawsuits against Pfizer; the unlucky victims have families filing wrongful death suits.

A prime example

Steve Durham was prescribed Viagra in 2011 by his doctor to take as needed. This July, Durham filed suit against Pfizer, claiming that the drug increased his risk of developing skin cancer. The Madison St. Clair Record reported, “In August 2014, the lawsuit states, he was diagnosed with malignant melanoma. The plaintiff alleges Pfizer designed, manufactured, distributed and sold the unsafe drug, Viagra, intentionally concealed or misrepresented the risks, dangers and defects of taking the drug and failed to conduct adequate analysis of diverse event reports.”

 

Durham’s lawsuit, like many others, focuses on the fact that Pfizer initially failed to completely evaluate all risks associated with the drug, and then failed to act when information became available. Johnson & Johnson faces similar circumstances with talc; when there is a chance that a drug or product can cause harm, manufacturers have a responsibility to inform customers.

How Viagra causes skin cancer

Setting aside Pfizer’s failure to act on vital information, many lawsuits are citing a 2014 study from the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine. The study found that the enzyme used in Viagra, known as sildenafil, causes a cell mutation that can develop into melanoma. Researchers concluded that men who took Viagra (sildenafil) increased their risk of developing melanoma by 84%.

As usual, the pharmaceutical giant admits no wrongdoing and continues to claim that the extremely profitable drug is safe to use. When big companies lie about defective products, victims and their families suffer. The aggressive South Carolina defective product attorneys at McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips LLC fight hard to bring negligent corporations to justice and get injured victims the compensation they deserve. When you or your family suffers, we can help get you the compensation you need to recover. Call 803-327-7800 or contact us today for a free consultation.