A group of plaintiffs who have filed Viagra skin cancer lawsuits in federal courts are requesting that all pending federal Viagra lawsuits be centralized in a multidistrict litigation. In a December transfer motion, the plaintiffs argued that the Viagra lawsuits in question “assert virtually identical claims against the same Defendant, for the same injury, caused by the same drug.”
Viagra is a phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitor manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of erectile dysfunction. Viagra has been prescribed to over 35 million men since its introduction in 1998, and has generated almost $2 billion in revenue for Pfizer. However, the drug has been associated with melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer. Several studies have suggested that Viagra and other PED5 inhibitors can promote the growth of malignant skin cells, and a 2014 investigation published in JAMA Internal Medicine indicated that men who used Viagra had a nearly doubled risk of developing melanoma.
Men who took Viagra and developed melanoma have filed Viagra skin cancer lawsuits. These lawsuits allege that Pfizer failed to research and adequately inform patients about the skin cancer risks Viagra poses. As a result, Pfizer endangered the health of numerous patients who could have sought alternative treatment.
The Viagra plaintiffs who filed the recent transfer motion requested that the MDL be established in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, which has an efficient civil docket. They further suggested that the litigation be overseen by District Judge Richard Seeborg, who is already presiding over three of the five federal Viagra lawsuits in the Northern District of California.
If you or a loved one was diagnosed with melanoma after using Viagra, contact the lawyers at Lopez McHugh today for a free legal consultation. You may be eligible to file your own Viagra melanoma lawsuit.
