Tasigna Atherosclerosis Lawsuit News

Novartis' Potentially Misleading Drug Marketing Campaign

Novartis may have misled American cancer doctors and the general public when it brought Tasigna to the market

Monday, October 23, 2017 - Increasing competition and fearing financial losses in the $6 billion cancer chemotherapy drug market it dominates may have caused Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis to embark on a questionable marketing campaign. Prior to 2015, Novartis' popular and effective anti-cancer drug Gleevec had a virtual monopoly over the market for anti-cancer chemotherapy drugs yet was going to go off patent in that year. Fearing the loss of market share to competitors such as Bristol-Meyers Squibb and Pfizer, and without making mention of the drug's patent issues, Novartis began marketing their new anti-cancer drug Tasigna as a more effective alternative to Gleevec and used cash incentives and questionable schemes to monetarily incentivize cancer physicians and pharmacists to make the switch. Novartis marketing reps pointed to the drug's potency and that Tasigna only needs to be administered half as often as Gleevec. The adverse side effect of the more powerful Tasigna chemotherapy patients was never mentioned to US cancer physicians or the American public even though it had drawn a warning by Canada's health department. At the time Tasigna was known in Canada to directly lead to atherosclerosis-related blood disorders in patients taking the drug.

Tasigna was also more expensive than Gleevec but as long as insurance covered the costs, the issue of cost was of little concern. Gleevec was also available generically for as little as $50 per month, not the thousands that could be charged for Tasigna. Getting doctors to switch to Tasigna also insulated Novartis against losses from being cannibalized by generic Gleevec manufacturers.

As a result of the company's aggressiveness in marketing Tasigna, Novartis paid $390 million to settle a $1.1 billion claim made against the company by the US Federal government stating that from 2007 to 2012 the company bribed pharmacists with illegal cash kickbacks to dispense Tasigna to Medicaid and Medicare patients instead of the company's other, more effective, less expensive, and less deadly brand Gleevec. David Kester, a former Novartis employee, and whistleblower testified that Novartis provided cash kickbacks to encourage oncologists and pharmacists to recommend Tasigna. The company admitted to knowing about the bribery scheme when settling the charges. In addition, the US federal claim also cited that Novartis ran illegal contests and kept score, rewarding the pharmacies that could keep patients on Tasigna for the longest period of time. According to Reuters.com, "Two of the pharmacies in the case - Accredo Health Group Inc, a unit of Medco Health Solutions and BioScrip Inc - previously settled charges and collectively paid $75 million."

All of the questionable marketing tactics of Novartis may have never come to light had the drug in question, Tasigna, not have caused such serious, adverse side effects. The loved ones of those who have died from heart attacks and strokes, or the Tasigna patients that have had to have a limb amputated are suing Novartis for reimbursement of medical expenses, lost wages and other related expenses and suffering. Atherosclerosis is a deadly killer and left unattended will continue to worsen until the arteries in the body can no longer carry enough blood throughout the body to support life. If you or a loved one have taken Tasigna chemotherapy it is important to see your physician and undergo the necessary medical tests.

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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.