A Missouri man recently filed a lawsuit against pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc., alleging he was diagnosed with melanoma cancer after taking Viagra.

According to the Viagra melanoma cancer lawsuit, the plaintiff, David W., began taking the popular erectile dysfunction drug in April 2002 and stopped taking the drug in Sept. 2004. Unfortunately, David was diagnosed with melanoma cancer in April 2003, just a year after he began taking Viagra, which he alleges is a direct result of taking the medication.

David alleges that his Viagra melanoma diagnosis was caused by Pfizer’s negligence and failure to warn patients about the risks associated with its drug.

David filed his lawsuit along with a group of others against Pfizer attributing their Viagra melanoma diagnoses to the company’s actions and inaction.

The Viagra melanoma cancer  lawsuit was filed on March 14, 2018 in California federal court. The lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including negligence, defective design, failure to warn, failure to warn, breach of express and implied warranties, and several others.

The lawsuits cite several studies that look into the connection between Viagra and melanoma cancer. One Viagra melanoma study, published in 2011, found that treatment with Viagra can promote the creation of melanoma cells. Another Viagra melanoma study, published in 2014 in JAMA Internal Medicine, found that out of thousands of participants, those who had recently taken sildenafil drugs like Viagra faced an 84 percent increased of developing (or worsening) melanoma. Any use of Viagra specifically pushed that risk factor to 92 percent.

Viagra and Melanoma Risk

Skin cancer like melanoma is most often associated with exposure to the sun, but melanoma has also been linked with exposure to certain erectile dysfunction drugs, including Viagra, a medication manufactured by Pfizer Inc.

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

Viagra can also work in concert 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.

Viagra Melanoma Lawsuits

Plaintiffs involved in Viagra melanoma cancer lawsuits allege that, had Pfizer given adequate warning about the cancer risk linked with the drug, they could have chosen another option and avoided this increased risk of skin cancer entirely.

If you or someone you know suffered from melanoma skin cancer after taking Viagra, you may be able to file a lawsuit. Though filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by Viagra melanoma or bring a loved one back to life, if successful, it can help to alleviate the financial burden caused by medical expenses and lost wages.

The Viagra Melanoma Cancer Lawsuit is Case No. 3:18-cv-01609-RS, in the U.S. District Court for the San Francisco Division of the Northern District of California.