Eli Lilly and Company has been hit with a Cialis melanoma lawsuit by an Oklahoma resident who alleges he developed this deadly form of skin cancer as a direct result of ingesting their brand name erectile dysfunction medication.

The Cialis lawsuit comes on the heels of several Viagra melanoma studies and lawsuits and raises similar concerns and claims about the link between erectile dysfunction drugs and the high rates of melanoma diagnoses.

Plaintiff Jerry Ryan filed this Cialis melanoma lawsuit alleging he “ingested Cialis (Tadalafil) as prescribed by his healthcare providers and was later diagnosed with melanoma on or about Sept. 26, 2012.”

During the time that Ryan was taking Cialis, he says he was unaware of the potential risk for developing melanoma skin cancer.

Ryan brings several counts against Eli Lilly in this Cialis melanoma lawsuit, including allegations of strict liability design defect, failure to warn, breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty, negligence, gross negligence and punitive damages, fraud and misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment, and unjust enrichment.

The Oklahoma man is seeking relief in the form of actual damages, punitive damages, payment of legal and medical expenses, reimbursement of lost wages, compensation for Ryan’s physical impairments, pain suffering, loss of affection and sexual relations, and any further forms of relief so deemed fit by the court.

Ryan’s Cialis lawsuit is similar to recent Viagra melanoma lawsuits filed against Pfizer alleging their brand-name erectile dysfunction treatment drugs caused their consumers to develop Viagra skin cancer.

The Cialis Melanoma Lawsuit is Ryan v. Eli Lilly and Company, Case No. CIV-14-1045-HE, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma.

Erectile Dysfunction Drug Skin Cancer Risks

Cialis is not the only erectile dysfunction medication under fire for allegedly causing male consumers to develop melanoma skin cancer.

Earlier this year, the Harvard School of Public Health created quite a stir when the institution published an article regarding Viagra melanoma in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), which looked at the strong correlation between Viagra and patient development of melanoma skin cancer. Of the men participating in the Harvard study, those participants who used Viagra were reportedly 84 percent more likely to develop melanoma skin cancer in comparison to their counterparts who did not consume the Pfizer manufactured erectile enhancing drug.

The Harvard study looked at 10-years’ worth of Viagra skin cancer data form a total of 26,000 male research participants, a number of which self-identified as regular Viagra users. The Viagra melanoma study reported that 3,500 of the total male participants developed skin cancer, which they suspect was directly caused by the use of Viagra. Of these identified 3,500 Viagra skin cancer participants, 142 specifically developed Viagra melanoma.

Even when taking other risk factors into account like genetics and UV damage, the Harvard-based researchers found that these additional factors did not change the outcome of the study.

While this is not conclusive evidence, the results of the Viagra melanoma study suggest that there is an increased risk of developing melanoma skin cancer when taking Viagra or other erectile enhancing drugs like Viagra and Cialis. In light of this study and other consumer reports, dozens of men have filed erectile dysfunction drug melanoma lawsuits.