Kentucky plaintiff James F. is suing Pfizer Inc. for allegedly causing him to suffer one of the most devastating forms of skin cancer, melanoma. James claims that as a direct result of using the defendant’s Viagra product, he developed and suffered from Viagra melanoma skin cancer.

Viagra has been prescribed and sold on the drug market since 1998, treating millions of men who suffer from erectile dysfunction. According to the Viagra lawsuit, James had been prescribed Viagra by his physician during the first year of its release, and he stayed on Viagra until 2012. At no point before or after his prescription was he warned that Viagra could potentially make him vulnerable to melanoma skin cancer, James alleges.

Despite faithfully following the Viagra prescription instructions and physicians advice for over a decade, the plaintiff allegedly experienced a serious Viagra complication. After noticing suspicious skin lesions on his face and back in 2012, the plaintiff’s physician had James undergo diagnostic testing. After officially being diagnosed with melanoma, he underwent surgery to remove the skin lesions sometime later in 2012.

While the surgery was successful in removing the skin lesions, along with the melanoma, James still remains highly vigilant in checking for skin lesions. Medical records indicate that recurrence is possible and that James should be watchful of any ill side effects. James is taking legal action against Pfizer for failing to protect him against the risks associated with Viagra, and that he had not been aware of such Viagra side effects like Viagra skin cancer.

The plaintiff’s legal representatives state that Pfizer had the responsibility to warn their client and other Viagra patients of all possible side effects of their erectile enhancing product. The consumers and healthcare experts rely on the accuracy of the product’s label when choosing prescription medication like Viagra. James insists that he never would have taken Viagra if he had known about the risks of melanoma skin cancer.

James is suing Pfizer for being allegedly responsible for manufacturing, selling, distributing, and marketing a dangerous drug. The claims against Pfizer in this Viagra melanoma lawsuit include: negligence, false advertising, concealing information, and misrepresenting a product.

This Viagra Melanoma Lawsuit is Case No. 1:15-cv-02657-JPO, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Overview of Viagra Melanoma Allegations

According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 3.5 million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed per year in the United States and 76,000 of these cases are specifically melanoma patients. Interestingly enough, the highest melanoma patient population is middle-aged to elderly men, who are also often on erectile dysfunction treatment medications. The concern of melanoma being associated with Viagra, as well as newer erectile dysfunction drugs like Cialis and Levitra, stemmed from a recent study published in 2010 that observed the correlation between the development of melanoma and the use of Viagra.

For over a decade, approximately 26,000 men were observed. The average age in the group of the Viagra studies participants was 65. Over 1,300 men had reported using Viagra, with 300 additional patients admitting to trying Viagra at least once. Overall, the men who used Viagra were found to be at a significantly higher risk for developing melanoma, with an 84 percent stronger likelihood. However, the study found that Viagra had no bearing of increasing the likelihood for lesser skin cancers like basal cell and squamous cell cancer. The researchers from this Viagra melanoma study stated that while their inquiry indicated a correlation, nothing was conclusively proven. Additionally, the researchers stated that men should not cease taking Viagra without consulting their physicians.

Currently, researchers are unsure as to why this drug may be causing melanoma in Viagra patients, but agree on a central theory. Viagra’s main component, sildenafil, has been shown to cause certain cell pathways to open and allow melanoma to develop. Once melanoma spreads, it can quickly progress to fatal stages and leaves the patients with little treatment options. Melanoma causes approximately 10,000 deaths per year in the United States.