One-Third of Tasigna Patients Could Face Coronary Bypass Surgery

Tasigna may be the strongest drug on the market in fighting cancer but the side effects make the risks greater than the benefits

Thursday, October 4, 2018 - Peripheral Artery Occlusive Disease (PAOD), a result of atherosclerosis, may be the most serious side effect for patients that undergo anti-cancer chemotherapy treatments using Tasigna (nilotinib). In a recent study reported to Leukemia, PAOD was prevalent in cancer drugs like Tasigna that are classified as tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) used to treat patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Www.nature.com reports that "Clinically overt PAOD was seen in five patients, all of whom were exposed to nilotinib therapy. The study reviewed 27 cases of TKI treatment-associated overt PAOD accrued from several collaborating centers and discovered that all but one of these patients were exposed to nilotinib therapy, including 20 patients who were receiving nilotinib as first- or second-line treatment of CP-CML. Events were severe enough to require percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in 33.3% of the cases, stent implantation in 22.2%, amputation in 22.2% and surgery in 18.5%." The study supports previous ones that associate nilotinib with "accelerated atherosclerosis." Two patient experienced sudden death from heart attacks and one had a stroke.

Given these and other studies, the FDA has required that Novartis update Tasigna's warning label to include a black box that states that Tasigna "prolongs the QT Interval" and that patients should be given an electrocardiogram (ECG) prior to starting Tasigna treatments. Tasigna patients also should undergo an ECG at 7-day intervals after beginning Tasigna treatments to monitor their condition for an irregular heartbeat. The next line of the black box warning states that there have been incidences of sudden death caused by such QT prolongation. Tasigna's warning goes on to state "Cardiovascular events including ischemic heart disease, peripheral arterial occlusive disease, and ischemic cerebrovascular events have been reported in patients with newly diagnosed Ph+ CML receiving Tasigna."

Simply stated, most people cannot tolerate Tasigna treatments for very long. In the post-market Tasigna study, approximately one in five or 20% of CML patients given Tasigna developed atherosclerosis in one form or another. Tasigna's toxicity attacks the smooth inner lining of the arteries, roughening them and causing the fatty portion of the blood to stick, harden, and accumulate within them. In diet-related atherosclerosis, narrowing of the arteries can take decades but accumulation happens in only months in Tasigna patients. This rapid-onset atherosclerosis causes necrosis in the extremities in the feet and toes, causing them to blacken with tissue death. The only treatment is amputation. Other times a small chunk of plaque can break away from the inner arterial wall and become lodged in the smaller arteries leading to the brain and heart. When this happens a stroke or heart attack can ensue causing paralysis or instant death. Tasigna problems and side effects include atherosclerosis, cardiovascular, amputation, problems and peripheral arterial disease.

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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.