Tasigna is a chemotherapy drug used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). It was approved by the FDA in 2007, and is now one of the most popular CML treatment drugs in the world.

In 2016, reports showed that $1.7 billion of the drug had been sold that year. Despite the drug’s popularity, it is not without risk. Tasigna was approved with a black box warning, one of the FDA’s strongest warnings. This warning warned of a number of serious side effects.

Now, researchers are reporting a possible link between Tasigna and various cardiovascular and circulatory issues, problems that were not warned of in the FDA’s black box warning. Patients have reported experiencing a number of cardiovascular and circulatory issues as a result of using Tasigna, most notably atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is the clogging, narrowing, and hardening of the arteries. This condition can cause peripheral arterial disease because it becomes difficult for blood to reach the peripheral arteries. This can, in turn, lead to the damage of arms, legs, brain, and other parts of the body.

The implications of this conditions are serious — atherosclerosis can lead to cardiovascular problems, amputation, and death.

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is the most common condition resulting from atherosclerosis. Most commonly, it affects the legs, but it can also affect the arms, stomach, and head. Symptoms include cramps, pain, or tiredness in the leg or hip muscles when a person is walking or climbing stairs. In most cases, these symptoms go away when a person is resting, and return when they are active.

Atherosclerosis that is caused by the use of Tasigna and other CML treatment drugs can be a serious condition, because the lack of circulation that results is severe and irreversible.

Atherosclerosis can cause blood clots because the plaque buildup from the condition may break off from the artery wall, travel through the artery and become stuck, completely blocking blood flow to that area. This can cause a stroke if it occurs in a carotid artery, or can lead to gangrene and limb amputation if it occurs in the legs or feet.

Over one dozen studies have linked Tasigna use to the development in atherosclerosis. These studies have been published in the United States and abroad. The first of these studies, published in 2011, showed that 25 percent of Tasigna patients experienced vascular problems, and 16 percent of patients developed peripheral arterial disease after taking the drug.

After the FDA published a study in 2013 that supported the suspected link between CML treatment drugs and atherosclerosis, a warning for the risk of developing the condition was added to the drug’s label.

Novartis, the drug’s manufacturer, is facing legal claims that the company knowingly marketed Tasigna without making patients and medical professionals aware of the full risks of the drug. Allegedly, Novartis marketed the possibly deadly drug as superior to other CML treatment drugs.
If you took the chemotherapy drug Tasigna, or other CML treatment drugs like it and later developed cardiovascular or circulatory issues, you may have a legal claim. Joining a Tasigna lawsuit could enable you to receive compensation for injury done by this drug.