Gleevec Was a Cancer-Curing Miracle Drug

Novartis put profits ahead of patient safety when the rushed Tasigna to market. Cancer patients lived longer when taking Gleevec yet Novartis replaced it with Tasigna fearing a drop in corporate profits

Thursday, July 26, 2018 - First introduced to the market in 2001, Gleevec (imatinib) was considered to be a miracle drug for its effectiveness in returning a cancer patient's white blood cell count to a normal range. Gleevec is prescribed for patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML). CML patients suffer from an overdevelopment and ineffectiveness of white blood cells, the cells that are made in the bone marrow and constitute one's immune system. CML is believed to be the result of a chromosomal mutation. Early symptoms of CML include "bleeding easily, feeling run down or tired, weight loss, pale skin, and night sweats." (1) About 5000 cases of CML are reported each year and the average age of a CML patient is 65. None of the routine side effects of Gleevec such as diarrhea, nausea, muscle pain, fatigue, and skin rashes were thought of as life-threatening.

According to www.nature.com, clinical studies of Gleevec's effectiveness revealed that such a hematologic response (blood test results) was experienced in 53 of 54 patients. Patients given Gleevec experienced similar results at the end of a 5-year period with an 89% survival rate and a relapse rate of only 17%. (2) Such impressive results immediately drew the attention of the oncology community and sales of Gleevec skyrocketed. Such phenomenal success enabled Novartis AG to initially charge $26,400 per year for the drug, increasing to $120,000 over the years. By 2015, annual sales of imatinib reached almost $5 billion. Gleevec was scheduled to go off patent in 2015 and Novartis faced competition from inexpensive generic drugs costing only pennies on the dollar compared to Gleevec. Rather than lose Gleevec market share, Novartis brought Tasigna to market as a Gleevec replacement drug. Before going off patent, specialty pharmacists were illegally incentivized to refill Gleevec prescriptions with Tasigna without alerting the patient as to Tasigna's devastating and life-threatening side effects. Tasigna patients started developing atherosclerosis and peripheral artery disease, the narrowing, and hardening of the arteries leading to the extremities, brain, and heart almost immediately. For their fraud and negligence, Novartis paid a $390 million fine to the US Department of Justice.

Tasigna patients are now warned that amputation is a very real possibility form taking Tasigna. Irreversible tissue death called necrosis develops when the artery is so narrowed that oxygen and nutrient-rich blood can not reach the extremities. When the carotid artery leading to the brain becomes blocked a paralyzing stroke can occur as well as when the blockage is in an artery leading to the heart a Tasigna patient can die from a heart attack. Novartis warns Tasigna patients via a Black Box warning label not to take Tasigna if they have pre-existing blood abnormalities or a heart condition. Patients experiencing atherosclerosis are advised to consult with a Tasigna atherosclerosis attorney for more information on filing a claim against Novartis for failing to adequately test Tasigna before replacing Gleevec.

Sources:

(1) https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/chronic-myelogenous-leukemia/symptoms-causes/syc-20352417?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=abstract&utm_content=Chronic-myelogenous-leukemia&utm_campaign=Knowledge-panel

(2) https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/gleevec-the-breakthrough-in-cancer-treatment-565

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Lawyers for Tasigna Atherosclerosis Lawsuits

Attorneys handling Tasigna lawsuits for leukemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and multiple myeloma offer free, no-obligation case review for individuals and families who believe they may have grounds to file a Tasigna lawsuit. Working on a contingency basis, these attorneys are committed to never charging legal fees unless they win compensation in your Tasigna lawsuit. The product liability litigators handling Roundup claims at the Onder Law Firm have a strong track record of success in representing families harmed by dangerous drugs and consumer products.