Tasigna Side Effects Are Worse Than Cancer

At what point does a cancer patient decide that they are better off waiting to die from cancer rather than undergo Tasigna chemotherapy with all its risks?

Wednesday, July 18, 2018 - Cancer patients suffering from the most serious form of cancer are normally willing to try just about anything in a hail mary attempt to get their disease under control. Tasigna chemotherapy is the most toxic and potent chemotherapy drug on the market with side effects that can be much worse than cancer itself.

What is Tasigna and what is it used for?

Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), can be characterized as when the bone marrow produces an excess of white blood cells. Tasigna works by blocking the protein responsible for this abnormal cell growth.

Tasigna is the brand name for (nilotinib), an anti-cancer chemotherapy drug given to patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) The drug was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2007. Patients with this deadly form of cancer are generally advised by their oncologists that Tasigna treatments will last their entire life, however, certain patients that are responding positively may discontinue its use after a three year period. CML may reoccur in patients in remission at any time. Approximately 10,000 new cases of CML are reported every year with about 10% of those patients dying from the disease.

The FDA's list of adverse side effect reported by Tasigna patient as those that are common and some severe. Common side effects of Tasigna are "nausea, rash, headache, fatigue, itching (pruritus), vomiting, diarrhea, cough, constipation, joint pain (arthralgia), upper respiratory inflammation (nasopharyngitis), fever (pyrexia), night sweats, low levels of low blood platelets (thrombocytopenia) and low levels of certain blood cells (myelosuppression or thrombocytopenia, neutropenia and anemia)." This list is true of basically all brands of chemotherapy drugs. The severe side effects are what sets Tasigna apart from all other forms of chemotherapy because all Tasigna patients are at risk of sudden death from having a heart attack.

The FDA reports incidences of blockages of the arteries leading to the legs, brain, and heart called atherosclerosis. Any of these three can result in necrosis (tissue death) of the toes, feet, and legs, paralysis from strokes, and sudden death from a blot clot causing a heart attack. Pancreatitis, inflammation of, and a high level of enzymes in the pancreas, severe liver damage called hepatotoxicity, electrolyte imbalances, hemophilia (the inability for the blood to clot). One of the more bizarre incredibly damaging side effects of Tasigna is for patients to require a total removal of the stomach (gastrectomy). (1)

Tasigna patients suffering from atherosclerosis are urged to consult a Tasigna atherosclerosis attorney to see if they qualify to file a claim against the maker of Tasigna, Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis. Novartis has paid $390 million in fines to the US Justice Department to settle a claim that the company engaged in illegal marketing activities and failed to warn consumers of the risks of taking Tasigna.

(1) https://www.fda.gov/newsevents/newsroom/pressannouncements/ucm590391.htm

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Lawyers for Tasigna Atherosclerosis Lawsuits

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