Tasigna Atherosclerosis Lawsuit News

Atherosclerosis Linked to Tasigna Anti Cancer Drug

Tasigna makers Novartis International AG an Anti Cancer Treatment Drug Failed to Give Side Effects Warning to Doctors and Patients

Friday, August 18, 2017 - Atherosclerosis is a serious, life-threating disease, a thickening of the arterial walls leading to the heart, and has been linked to one of the world's most readily-prescribed cancer treatment drugs, Tasigna. Tasigna is a chemotherapy treatment used by oncologists (cancer doctors) to treat the most serious of cancer patients, those with chronic myeloid leukemia, a cancer of the bone marrow. Cancer patients treated with Tasigna chemotherapy have been mortified to find out that the side effects of using Tasigna are often worse than the disease that it was originally intended to treat. Atherosclerosis is, for the most part, a silent killer as the symptoms that could alert a cancer patient that they were suffering from the deadly Tasigna side effects often do not present themselves until it is too late.

Atherosclerosis produces a gradual but deadly accumulation of plaque and thickening of the walls of the major arteries, resulting in a reduction in the flow of vital, oxygen-rich blood so necessary for the healthy maintenance of cells and tissues. Atherosclerosis, once it begins, is a one-way street and will only worsen with time producing at first no outward symptoms. Plaque building up inside arterial walls reduces the volume of blood that the vein can carry and results in the heart having to work harder than ever. In doing so, pressure builds up in the arteries and in the long-run, heart disease can result. In addition, if a small, almost microscopic chunk of plaque, breaks off of the main artery it can become lodged on the way back to the heart resulting in a heart attack, or it can block a blood vessel to the brain resulting in a stroke. A severe stroke often results in permanent paralysis to an entire side of a person's body. In addition, necrosis, intractable pain, foot ulcers, and infections can result from blockages in the veins that lead to the extremities of the legs and feet requiring amputation. So common are these side effects that Tasigna has been required to warn cancer patients that have heart conditions in advance of these probabilities. Physicians that continue to recommend Tasigna are required to screen their patients before, during, and after cancer treatment to make sure that there are no blood pressure complications that could actually cause the patient instant death.

The manufacturer and distributor of Tasigna, Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis AG, has a history of dishonestly dealing with the medical community. The company was fined $3.3 billion dollars by the US Justice Department in 2015 for promoting the drug to cancer physicians, misrepresenting the effectiveness of the drug and paying the doctors illegal financial incentives to use it. All this while medical records indicated that the company knew of the Tasigna atherosclerosis link since for over 5 years and did nothing to warn consumers. Meanwhile, the company put illegal profits above genuine concerns for the health of the public and protected their brand, reaping an astounding $50 billion per year in illicit drug profits.

Today, hundreds of Tasigna victims are coming forward and suing Novartis for damages that include compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering and punitive damages.

In addition to Tasigna, Novartis illegally promoted Exjade, a drug designed to remove iron from the blood of transfusion patients, and Myfortic used to attempt to prevent rejection in kidney transplant patients. These illegal actions of Novartis net the company approximately $50 billion in sales per year and there was no end in sight until people started to successfully sue Novartis in droves claiming that the drug had caused their atherosclerosis. Medical records dating back to 2011 proves with certainty that Novartis not only knew of the risks of atherosclerosis that Tasigna posed to cancer patients but also covered up the findings in order to protect their profit and brand reputation.

US Medical Community Left in the Dark

In April 2013 Novartis issued a health advisory to Canadian health care professionals warning them of the risks of Tasigna patients developing atherosclerosis and advised them to closely monitor patients taking the drug. The manufacturer updated its product warnings for Tasigna to include information on the risk of those taking Tasigna developing atherosclerosis. These warnings were made without regard to U.S. health officials or US patients taking Tasigna who were left in the dark to think that the drug was safe. Novartis settled the US Government's $3.3 billion lawsuits for $390 million.

Tasigna personal injury and wrongful death attorneys at Onder, Shelton, O'Leary & Peterson represent clients throughout the United States with complex legal matters involving products liability and failure to warn cases. If you or a loved one use the anti-cancer leukemia drug Tasigna and have developed atherosclerosis or if you have a loved one who has died from the side effects of Tasigna, call the Onder Law firm today. There is no cost or obligation and if we take your case it will be on a contingency basis. That means that there are no legal fees unless we win and collect.

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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.