A man has filed a Cialis lawsuit alleging the erectile dysfunction medication caused him to develop the deadly skin cancer melanoma.

Plaintiff Timothy T.  says he took Cialis from April 20, 2015, through March 29, 2017. On Oct. 23, 2015, he was diagnosed with melanoma. He argues he was never warned about the connection between the two and that he’s had to file a Cialis lawsuit as a result.

Eli Lilly’s Cialis (tadalafil) was FDA-approved in November 2003 to treat erectile dysfunction. The drug works through a series of enzymatic controls that improve blood flow. One of the actions is to inhibit the secretion of an enzyme known as PDE5.

According to the Cialis lawsuit, research studies have linked PDE5 inhibitors with the creation of melanocytes, which develop into melanoma.

A 2011 study showed that PDE5 inhibitors such as Cialis can promote melanoma cell invasion, actually triggering the creation of melanoma cells.

In 2014, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that men who had recently taken another PDE5 inhibitor known as Viagra (sildenafil) had an “84% increase in the risk of developing or encouraging invasive melanoma.”

Cialis works the same way as Viagra in its inhibition of PDE5 to facilitate the treatment of erectile dysfunction.

Cialis Lawsuit Says Eli Lilly Hid Health Risks

“Eli Lilly purposefully downplayed, understated and outright ignored melanoma-related health hazards and risks associated with using Cialis,” claims the Cialis lawsuit.

Plaintiffs like Timothy claim Eli Lilly continued to market Cialis by highlighting the drug’s positive benefits while downplaying the reality that the drug could have adverse and serious side effects. The promotional materials and advertising campaign for Cialis have been expensive and aggressive to convince men throughout the world they could recapture their virility by using it.

Plaintiffs claim that none of the advertisements nor promotional materials warned them of the increased risk of developing melanoma or the risk of exacerbating melanoma if they had already been diagnosed with the most deadly form of skin cancer.

The Cialis lawsuit contends that erectile dysfunction is not a fatal condition and does not create any related symptoms that would harm a man’s health. The Cialis lawsuit even admits that the drug did allow “men with erectile dysfunction to achieve and maintain an erection,” but at the same time, the drug placed the user’s health at a significantly increased risk of deadly cancer.

By inhibiting PDE5, which is inherent to the effectiveness of Cialis to treat erectile dysfunction, Cialis “presents an unreasonably dangerous risk when used for its intended use.”

Cialis users, including Timothy, say they have suffered severe, permanent emotional and physical injuries as a result of being treated for melanoma. They claim that surgeries, pain and suffering, economic loss and unanticipated medical expenses have impacted them and will do so for years to come.

The Cialis Lawsuit is Case No. 3:16-md-02691-RS and is part of the Cialis Eli Lilly MDL, In re: Viagra (sildenafil citrate) and Cialis (tadalafil) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2691 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division.