Recent research indicates an association between Viagra and skin cancer, suggesting that users of the medication may be 84 percent more likely to develop the serious and potentially deadly skin cancer melanoma.

It also has been alleged that Viagra manufacturer Pfizer knew, or should have known, about the potential risk of skin cancer from Viagra, but did not provide warnings to consumers or the medical community. As a result, financial compensation may be available through a Viagra skin cancer lawsuit for former users and families throughout the United States.

Viagra (sildenafil citrate) is one of the best known brand-name medications. It was introduced by Pfizer in 1998 for men suffering from erectile dysfunction.

Amid aggressive direct-to-consumer marketing that promotes Viagra as “the little blue pill,” Pfizer grew the medication into a blockbuster drug that generates more than $2 billion in annual sales.

However, it appears that Pfizer may have withheld critical information about the risk of melanoma skin cancer from Viagra. Providing consumers and the medical community with warnings that the drug may cause skin cancer could have greatly reduced the number of men who would choose to take the drug for erectile dysfunction.

Although Pfizer has a duty to adequately research and study the potential risks associated with Viagra, information about the link to melanoma was not discovered by the independent medical community for more than 15 years after the drug was introduced.

Viagra Study Suggests Skin Cancer Risk

In April 2014, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a study that found men using Viagra are at a significantly increased risk of developing melanoma. In the study, researchers reviewed data from more than 25,000 participants in the Health Professionals’ Follow-up Study. The researchers found that when compared to men not using the drug, men with a history of Viagra use were twice as likely to develop melanoma, while men currently taking the drug were at an 84 percent increased risk.

Even when accounting for participants’ histories of skin cancer, ultraviolet light exposure and other kinds of cancer and major illnesses, researchers said that the findings remained the same. Additionally, there was no sign of erectile dysfunction itself being associated with an increased risk of developing melanoma, according to the study.

Although the limited nature of this one study alone may not be sufficient to establish a causal connection between Viagra and skin cancer, researchers highlighted the need for additional research.

Viagra Skin Cancer Lawsuits

As the manufacturer of Viagra, Pfizer had a duty to ensure the medication was adequately studied and researched, as well as to provide appropriate warnings about the potential risks so men could make an informed decision about whether to use Viagra.

If proper warnings had been provided about the potential risk of melanoma from Viagra, many men allegedly could have avoided this diagnosis by electing not to take the prescription erectile dysfunction drug, or they may have been able to reduce the risk or avoid skin cancer by carefully monitoring signs or symptoms of melanoma.

Men who developed skin cancer after using Viagra may be able to file Viagra lawsuits against the drug’s manufacturer seeking compensation for past and future medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages.