Tasigna Atherosclerosis Lawsuit News

Tasigna Replaced Gleevec and Patients Suffered

Novartis replaced Gleevec with Tasigna and for many patients suffering from a rare form of leukemia, the results have been catastrophic

Monday, June 25, 2018 - According to www.Cancer.org, Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) "is a type of cancer that starts in certain blood-forming cells of the bone marrow. CML is a fairly slow growing leukemia, but it can also change into a fast-growing acute leukemia that is hard to treat." Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis AG once controlled the lion's share of the anti-cancer drug market with Gleevec heralded as a revolutionary treatment for CML. "Imatinib (Gleevec) was the first drug to specifically target the BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase protein, and it quickly became the standard treatment for CML patients. Because it was the first TKI, imatinib is known as a first-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Almost all CML patients respond to treatment with imatinib, and most of these responses seem to last for many years. Imatinib is taken by mouth as a pill with food, usually once a day." (1)

For years cancer patients treated with Gleevec achieved outstanding results and remission times increased steadily. Side effects from Gleevec were limited to the usual ones a patient can expect from chemotherapy such as diarrhea, nausea, muscle pain, fatigue, and skin rashes. None of the side effects from Gleevec were thought of as life-threatening. In 2016, Gleevec was scheduled to go off patent and other companies including inexpensive generic drug manufacturers were free to copy Gleevec and compete. Rather than wait and take an enormous blow to company earnings, Novartis rushed their Gleevec-replacement drug Tasigna to market without adequate testing. As a result of Novartis'greed and negligence, Tasigna patients have begun developing atherosclerosis and peripheral artery disease, both painful and often deadly narrowing of the arteries leading to the extremities, brain, and heart. Atherosclerosis and PAD cause a buildup of fatty plaque within the arterial walls resulting in a reduction of the flow of oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to the smaller veins and capillaries in the feet and toes. Irreversible tissue death called necrosis then sets in and the only treatment is amputation. When the artery leading to the brain becomes blocked, the result is a paralyzing stroke. When the blockage is in an artery leading to the heart, sudden death is a possibility of a heart attack. Tasigna patients with pre-existing blood abnormalities are at the most risk from taking Tasigna. All potential Tasigna patients are now required to undergo a battery of heart-related tests before receiving the drug.

Rather than warn the US medical community of the potential for amputation, stroke and heart attack Tasigna presented, Novartis sales representatives illegally incentivized specialty pharmacists to refill Gleevec prescriptions with Tasigna and failed to warn patients of the new and potentially deadly side effects. The US Department of Justice fined Novartis $1 billion for their deceptions and settled for a payment of $390 million. Cancer patients suffering from atherosclerosis and peripheral artery disease, as well as the loved ones of those who have died from the diseases, are hiring Tasigna atherosclerosis lawyers and filing claims to get the compensation they deserve and to hold Novartis accountable as did the US Department of Justice, for their marketing fraud and deceptive advertising. Cancer patients are advised to speak with a Tasigna cancer lawyer to examine whether they qualify to file a claim.

(1) https://www.cancer.org/cancer/chronic-myeloid-leukemia/treating/targeted-therapies.html

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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.