New research has put erectile dysfunction drugs like Cialis in the spotlight for an apparent connection to melanoma skin cancer.

The announcement has led to a growing number of product liability lawsuits filed by men who were diagnosed with the deadly skin cancer after taking Cialis, Levitra or Viagra.

Overview of Cialis Skin Cancer Link

This suspected association stems from a recently published study in the JAMA medical journal, in which 26,000 men who had taken Viagra were observed. At the time the study began in 2000, Viagra had been the only approved erectile dysfunction drug on the market, so Cialis and Levitra were not part of the study.

Overall, the Viagra skin cancer study showed that men had an 84% greater risk of developing melanoma when taking Viagra, compared to those who did not take the medication.

It’s been reported that if this study was translated into to a real-world scenario the results would show that as many as one out of every 1,000 Viagra users could be at risk for developing melanoma each year.

While Cialis and Levitra were not included in the study, experts worry the drugs  may pose an even greater risk of skin cancer because their effects last longer than Viagra’s.

The conducting researchers state that more studies are needed to fully understand the relationship between melanoma and ED medication, and whether or not Cialis may or not be a threat. However, researchers also encouraged patients to regularly check with their doctors to check the condition of their skin, and to test any noticeable spots.

Cialis v. Viagra

Cialis (tadalafil) is a PDE5 inhibitor drug that was created for treating erectile dysfunction, to be in competition with Viagra. It was approved by the FDA on Nov. 21, 2003 and is manufactured by Eli Lilly & Co. It is the third drug to be approved to treat erectile dysfunction with only Levitra and Viagra in its drug family. Each of these ED drugs are only recommended by doctors if the patient absolutely needs them, due to possible blood-flow complications.

Cialis has proven to be a strong competitor on the market, putting increased pressure on Pfizer to step up its Viagra advertisements.

To make a comparison, Cialis and Viagra are both manufactured and developed for the same purpose of treating erectile dysfunction. The main difference is that Cialis lasts much longer than Viagra but takes longer to take effect.

The effects of Viagra last up to eight hours and take approximately 30 minutes to kick in, while Cialis can last as long as 36 hours but takes as long as two hours to start functioning. Some medical experts question whether Cialis’s longer time spent in a patient’s system may further increase their risk for melanoma skin cancer over Viagra.

Multiple Viagra lawsuits and Cialis lawsuits have been filed in recent months by men who allege their melanoma diagnosis may have been caused by these erectile dysfunction drugs.