Tasigna Atherosclerosis Lawsuit News

Tasigna Warnings

Research institutes, government health agencies and patients around the globe warn of the link between Tasigna and vascular disease

Monday, December 18, 2017 - Approximately 10-15 percent of patients that undergo cancer chemotherapy using the drug Tasigna develop atherosclerosis and peripheral artery disease. Those suffering from the disease and the loved ones of those who have died are filing suit against Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis, maker of Tasigna, claiming that the company knew of the life-threatening side-effects of the drug but chose to do nothing to warn consumers. The American medical community and the public at large were kept in the dark for years and thousands of cancer victims were switched from Gleevec, their first choice in chemotherapy drugs, to Tasigna.

Canadian physicians were warned as early as 2013 of the linkage between atherosclerosis and patients taking Tasigna in a letter from Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. and Health Canada. In response to the Canadian health warning on Tasigna, Novartis has updated the company's website to instruct physicians to pre-screen potential Tasigna patients for existing signs of heart disease as well as undergo blood glucose and lipid testing and have an EKG performed before, during, and for months after Tasigna chemotherapy treatment. It is possible that executives at Novartis have known since 2011 that Tasigna caused life-threatening side effects when clinical trials reported cases of atherosclerosis and related diseases. Between the years of 2005 and 2012 more than 277 Tasigna patients reported symptoms of vascular disease. Atherosclerosis-related diseases include peripheral artery disease, femoral artery stenosis, coronary artery stenosis, and carotid artery stenosis, blocking blood flow to the legs, heart, and brain respectively.

Scientific studies both in the U.S. and Internationally have been published that link Tasigna with atherosclerosis, peripheral artery disease, and a host of other blood clotting problems. In 2013 the American Journal of Hematology published that the treatments for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) was associated with peripheral artery disease (PAD), and described a 70-year old woman with no history of the vascular disease developing the disease after Tasigna chemotherapy and requiring bypass surgery.

Most recently, Novartis itself was forced to place a "black box" warning on Tasigna packaging warning of the risk of sudden death from taking the drug. A black box warning is the sternest possible and is reserved for drugs or medical devices that could cause serious injuries and possibly death. The Tasigna black box warning confirms that Tasigna side-effects include, "QT Prolongation and Sudden Death."

In 2016, a California women filed suit against Novartis AG claiming that her father died from Tasigna-related atherosclerosis and that the company did nothing to warn them.

According to Reuters, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp settled a $3.7 billion dollar lawsuit for $390 million with the U.S. government that alleged the company paid specialty pharmacies illegal kickbacks in exchange for refilling patients Gleevec prescriptions with Tasigna. Gleevec was scheduled to go off patent the following year and Novartis scrambled to retain its share of the billion dollar anti-cancer chemotherapy market. Novartis failed to warn the U.S. medical community of the Canadian health warning.

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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.