A chemotherapy drug known as Tasigna, prescribed to treat chronic myeloid leukemia, has been reported to cause severe adverse side effects and complications leading many patients to file a Tasigna lawsuit against the drug’s manufacturer.

Dozens of studies have linked Tasigna to many life-threatening side effects, including atherosclerosis, or the narrowing and clogging of the body’s arteries. Atherosclerosis has been reported to lead an individual to suffer from peripheral arterial disease.

Tasigna causes the arteries, blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the tissues of the body, to swell. Once this occurs, blood flow is restricted to the arms, legs, brain, heart, and other parts of the body, potentially leading to serious cardiovascular complications, limb amputation, or death.

Some additional adverse side effects from Tasigna may also include: coronary artery disease; circulatory issues of the legs, arms, heart or brain; heart attack; stroke; infection; amputation; embolic occlusion; and death.

Tasigna Overview

Tasigna (nilotinib) became approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2007 for treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia.

Chronic myeloid leukemia is a condition consisting of the slow progression of blood-cell cancer that begins in the body’s bone marrow. It is a rare and uncommon type of cancer with fewer than 200,000 U.S. cases per year. The cancer is caused by a spontaneous chromosome mutation, and it typically affects older adults.

Typically, symptoms of the condition do not occur until later stages. When symptoms do show, they include feeling rundown or tired, pale skin, night sweats, weight loss, and bleeding easily.

Tasigna is one of the most popular cancer medications prescribed worldwide, with sales revenue exceeding $1.7 billion in 2016.

However, while Tasigna was approved by the FDA with a black box label warning, patients were left in the dark over the drug’s potential risk in developing atherosclerosis and other adverse and serious complications for several years.

Artherosclerosis Symptoms

A condition of atherosclerosis is one where artery walls thicken and build up plaque. As arteries become too narrow, blood flow becomes restricted causing a condition known as PAD, or peripheral arterial disease.

Some symptoms of athersclerosis include pain, tiredness and cramping in the legs or hip muscles while either climbing up stairs or simply walking around. The pain is also often found in the legs and comes about through activity but goes away with rest.

Filing a Tasigna Lawsuit

A growing number of patients have filed a Tasigna lawsuit against the drug’s manufacturer, Novartis, accusing the company of knowing the severe side effects associated with Tasigna but failing to add the warning label to the drug until years later. Allegations against the company state that the manufacturer marketed Tasgina as a superior form of cancer medication while withholding pertinent drug information.

Patients filing a Tasigna lawsuit state that while the U.S. has strict product liability laws requiring companies to follow and properly warn against product risks, Novartis failed to follow these regulations, allegedly causing patients to develop atherosclerosis among other related complications.