The family of a Tennessee man diagnosed with melanoma has brought a wrongful death lawsuit against Pfizer, alleging that side effects of Viagra caused him to develop the aggressive skin cancer, which eventually led to his death in September 2008.

The Viagra wrongful death lawsuit was filed April 2 in Madison County Circuit Court, and claims that the death of David S. was caused by Pfizer’s negligence and wrongful conduct in the design, development, manufacture and sale of Viagra.

According to court documents, David began treatment for erectile dysfunction in 2000 and continued to take the medication until approximately 2007. David died of a pulmonary embolism caused by metastatic mucosal melanoma.

David’s family claims Pfizer did not properly disclose melanoma-related risks in taking the medication.

Viagra Skin Cancer Risks

Viagra (sildenafil citrate) was introduced by Pfizer in 1998, and it has become one of the most widely recognized medications in the United States, used by millions of men to treat impotence and sexual dysfunction, including the inability to develop or maintain an erection.

Pfizer reported that Viagra generated $1.8 billion in revenue worldwide in 2013, and the drug has been prescribed to an estimated 35 million men since its 1998 approval.

However, recent studies suggest that the medication may reduce the body’s ability to resist the spread of melanoma, a serious and potentially fatal form of skin cancer.

In a study published in 2013 in the medical journal JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers from Harvard Medical School found that men who took Viagra were 84 percent more likely to be diagnosed with melanoma than men who do not use the drug.

The American Cancer Society says that melanoma is diagnosed in about 69,000 Americans each year and causes about 8,650 deaths annually. The skin cancer usually manifests as unusual moles or patches of skin. While it is often curable if caught early, once melanoma has spread beyond the skin and local lymph nodes, treatment is difficult and it may ultimately result in death.

Viagra Melanoma Lawsuits

David’s estate is pursuing claims in the Viagra lawsuit against Pfizer for negligence, strict liability, breach of warranty, fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment, and gross negligence.

Similar allegations about Pfizer’s failure to warn have been raised in other Viagra skin cancer lawsuits filed over melanoma side effects, since the study published above indicated that men using the erectile dysfunction drug faced an increased risk of being diagnosed with the potentially deadly form of skin cancer.

If proper warnings had been provided about the potential risk of Viagra melanoma, many men, like David, the Viagra lawsuit claims, may have avoided this diagnosis by electing not to take the erectile dysfunction drug, or they may have been able to reduce the risk and avoid serious skin cancer by carefully monitoring for signs or symptoms of melanoma.

The Viagra Melanoma Wrongful Death Lawsuit is Case No: 15-L-423, in the Madison County Circuit Court.