An Illinois man has filed a new lawsuit over the erectile dysfunction drug Cialis and cancer risk, alleging he was diagnosed with melanoma cancer due to his Cialis use.

The plaintiff, John K., alleges he began taking Cialis to treat erectile dysfunction in July 2013, and continued for several years, until January 2017. He was diagnosed with melanoma cancer in July 2016, which he alleges was a direct result of taking Cialis.

John filed his lawsuit over Cialis and cancer risk on multiple counts, including negligence, fraud, defective design, failure to warn, breach of express and implied warranties, and several others. The lawsuit was filed in February 2018 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

Cialis and Cancer Risk

Skin cancer like melanoma is most often associated with exposure to the sun, but there are other possible causes as well. Melanoma has also been linked with exposure to certain erectile dysfunction drugs, including Cialis, a medication manufactured by Eli Lilly and Company.

Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer, but patients allege that they were not given adequate warning about the link between Cialis and cancer risk. Indeed, melanoma is dangerous enough that despite only two percent of skin cancer cases being melanoma, most skin cancer deaths are caused by this form. Nearly a thousand melanoma skin cancer deaths occur each year.

Other erectile dysfunction drugs have been similarly linked to melanoma. A number of studies in recent years have shown a connection between the erectile dysfunction medication Viagra and skin cancer.

According to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, men who use Viagra are as much as 84 percent more likely to be diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer than those who do not use Viagra. While the study did not specifically look into Cialis and cancer risk, the function of this drug is essentially the same.

Viagra is sometimes not the only cause of skin cancer. Other times, it can work with other factors to increase a patient’s risk of skin cancer. These other possible risk factors include exposure to UV light and a family history of skin cancer.

Cialis and Cancer Risk Lawsuits

Some patients who have used drugs like Cialis and Viagra allege that the erectile dysfunction drugs caused them to develop melanoma skin cancer. Plaintiffs involved in these erectile dysfunction lawsuits allege that, had the manufacturer given adequate warning about Cialis and cancer risk, they could have chosen another option and avoided this increased risk of skin cancer entirely.

Though filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by Cialis and cancer risk or bring a loved one back to mind, it can help to alleviate the financial burden caused by medical expenses and lost wages.

If you or someone you know suffered from melanoma skin cancer after Cialis or Viagra, you may be able to file a lawsuit.

The Cialis and Cancer Risk Lawsuit is Case No. 3:18-cv-00875-RS, in the U.S. District Court for the San Francisco Division of the Northern District of California.