A widow recently filed a Viagra lawsuit against pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, Inc., alleging that the company’s Viagra drug led to her husband’s melanoma diagnosis and death.

Plaintiff Charlotte D. says her late husband, Terry D., was prescribed Viagra to treat his erectile dysfunction in January 2014, and continued to take the drug for nearly half a year, until at least July 2014.

Unfortunately, Terry D. was diagnosed with malignant melanoma on March 18, 2014, and died on Jan. 4, 2015.

According to the Viagra lawsuit, Terry D. was diagnosed with malignant melanoma and died as a direct result of using Viagra.

Charlotte alleges there is a serious risk of melanoma connected with erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra, and that Pfizer was aware of this risk. The Viagra lawsuit claims that had Pfizer adequately warned the public and the medical community about the risk of skin cancer linked with their drug, Terry D. would have chosen a safer alternative and avoided the risk altogether.

This Viagra lawsuit was filed on 16 separate counts, including defective design, failure to warn, gross negligence, and fraudulent misrepresentation and concealment.

Viagra Background

Viagra (sildenafil citrate) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on March 27, 1998. Viagra is prescribed to men to treat erectile dysfunction. Originally developed as a treatment for high blood pressure, Viagra inhibits the secretion of a certain enzyme, allowing the blood to flow more freely.

Viagra has become almost a household name, and is the most popular erectile dysfunction drug by far. Viagra accounts for nearly half of the U.S. sale of erectile dysfunction drugs. As many as 30 million men in the U.S. are affected by erectile dysfunction, according to a report from the National Institutes of Health. Indeed, 8 million people filled prescriptions for Viagra in 2012 alone.

However, despite its widespread popularity, Viagra has also been linked in a number of studies and reports with serious Viagra side effects, including the development of a severe skin cancer known as melanoma.

A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine showed that Viagra users may be up to 84 percent more likely to develop  melanoma skin cancer than those who do not take the drug.

What is Viagra Melanoma?

Melanoma is the least common of the three major types of skin cancer, but it is the most aggressive and life-threatening. The other, less likely to be fatal skin cancers are basal cell and squamous cell. Despite its rarity in comparison to the others, melanoma is the leading cause of skin cancer death.

Although filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering of Viagra melanoma, or bring a loved one back to life, it can help to compensate for financial expenses often incurred by medical bills and lost wages.

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with Viagra melanoma skin cancer after using either Viagra or a similar erectile dysfunction drug, you may be able to file a Viagra lawsuit.

The Viagra Lawsuit is Case No. 3:16-cv-03417, in the U.S. District Court for the San Francisco Division of the Northern District of California.