A Florida man, after taking erectile dysfunction drugs, claims he developed melanoma from Viagra and Cialis.

Plaintiff Wil V., a resident of Venice, Fla., asserts he began taking Viagra (sildenafil) and Cialis (tadalafil) to treat his erectile dysfunction. According to his lawsuit, he began taking both erectile dysfunction drugs around June 2009 and continued until July 2014.

Wil was diagnosed with melanoma in April 2014. He alleges that his deadly form of cancer was caused by taking erectile dysfunction drugs Viagra and Cialis.

He is filing the lawsuit against drug manufacturers Eli Lily and Pfizer, Inc. and alleges counts of negligence, gross negligence, negligence per se, defective design, failure to warn, unfair and deceptive trade practices, failure to test, breach of implied warranty, breach of express warranty, fraud and deceit and willful, wanton and malicious conduct among others.

How Do Erectile Dysfunction Drugs Cause Cancer?

There have been recent studies that have reportedly connected certain erectile dysfunction drugs with a significantly increased risk of skin cancer.

Melanoma is an aggressive, deadly form of cancer that begins on the skin but can quickly spread to other parts of the body. JAMA Internal Medicine published an April 2014 study that found Viagra users have a much higher risk of developing melanoma.

In this study, Harvard School of Public Health researchers looked at the data of almost 26,000 men over a ten year period.

Of these men during this time, over 3,500 developed some form of skin cancer including melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma. Upon a closer look at the data, if a man used Viagra, he was 84 percent more likely to be diagnosed with melanoma than those men who did not take erectile dysfunction drugs.

Because Cialis works in similar ways to Viagra, researchers also suggest the Cialis may cause melanoma. It is important to note, however, that basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell cancer incidents did not rise with Viagra or Cialis use.

The researchers claim that this study does not in actuality prove that Viagra or Cialis causes cancer to grow, but that this strong connection warrants further research. Besides erectile dysfunction drugs, other factors should be considered in determining the risk for melanoma. These include a family history of skin cancer, ultraviolet light exposure, hair color, and mole count.

Melanoma is more dangerous than other types of skin cancer and can develop rapidly. When skin cells quickly multiply and make tumors, melanoma can result. These cancerous cells can look like moles or can come from the existence of moles themselves. These cancerous moles can vary in color and may be black, brown, pink, red, purple, blue or white.

If you believe that you or someone you love may have developed melanoma as a result of taking Viagra, Cialis, or other ED drugs, you may benefit from speaking to an experienced attorney.

Wil’s Viagra Lawsuit is Case No. 3:18-cv-02263-RS in the United States District Court of the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division.