Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is facing a new Viagra melanoma lawsuit, from a grieving son alleging the erectile dysfunction drug caused his father to develop and later die from the severe skin cancer.

Plaintiff Steven J. is suing the company on behalf of his father, Robert J., who had taken Viagra since September 2000 to treat his erectile dysfunction.

Steven claims that Pfizer failed to warn his father that the side effects of Viagra included an increased risk of developing melanoma skin cancer.

Steven’s father used Viagra until November 2011, following all prescription instruction and physician advice. Even though he was diligent, Robert was diagnosed with melanoma on his chest and back soon after stopping Viagra, according to the Viagra skin cancer lawsuit.

In Dec. 2011, Robert had a shave biopsy conducted on his right forearm, which confirmed the presence and superficial spreading of melanoma. Soon after, melanoma was also found in his left arm using the same diagnostic procedure.

Despite several surgical procedures attempting to remove the skin cancer and even undergoing chemotherapy, Robert’s melanoma was ultimately diagnosed too late. After battling the disease for nearly two years, Robert died on Nov. 6, 2013 from malignant melanoma.

In alleged result of the Viagra side effects, Robert’s life ended prematurely and left a permanent void in his family. Steven states that if his father had known the full side effects of Viagra, then his father never would have taken the medication.

Overview of Viagra Melanoma Association

Viagra (Sildenafil) was approved by the FDA on March 27, 1998, to be a treatment drug for erectile dysfunction. Almost as soon as the drug hit the market, numbers of adult men asked their doctors for prescriptions to cure their impotence and achieve a greater sexual activity level.

Viagra works by inhibiting the body’s secretion of phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) enzyme, which allows the body to get an erection much easier.

Even with the release of generic Viagra, the brand name variation still holds 45% of the erectile dysfunction market and is prescribed to millions of Americans.

However, it has recently been stated that melanoma skin cancer could potentially be a part of the long list of Viagra side effects, raising major concern in the medical community.

According to recent studies, the side effects of Viagra treatment can spur certain cellular activity that raises the chances of melanoma development.

More specifically, Viagra initiates cell mutation that created melanocytes that ultimately resulting in melanoma skin cancer.

Even though Viagra melanoma is recent news to patients and the medical community, research from the Joint Clinical Review indicates Pfizer may have known about this alleged correlation since 1998.

This alleged concealment of the risk of developing Viagra skin cancer has prompted several lawsuits against Pfizer.  Many of these lawsuits similarly claims that even though the company allegedly knew of the devastating side effects of Viagra, Pfizer failed to warn Robert and numerous other Viagra patients.

Steven is filing his Viagra lawsuit for wrongful death and other negligence charges.

The Viagra Skin Cancer Lawsuit is Case No. 3:16-cv-02955 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.