Tasigna Atherosclerosis Lawsuit News

Trying Tasigna As A Last Resort May Make Sense To Terminally Ill Cancer Patients

Tasigna carries severe severe atherosclerosis making the drug a sensible choice for only the most hopeless cancer patients

Friday, April 12, 2019 - It is hard to imagine a more dreaded moment in life than when a person and their family sit down across the desk from their oncologist and receives the bad news that they have cancer. The first question that comes out of the patient's mouth is "has the cancer spread," and the second question is "how long do I have to live." When a person's cancer has metastasized, i.e., spread to other organs and the answer to the second it "less than one year," doctors may attempt a "hail mary pass" and prescribe the strongest drug possible regardless of the drug's risks. If a person is going to die in a month or two and a drug can extend their life by, say a year or so, then it makes total sense to try Tasigna. Tasigna Atherosclerosis lawyers helping families in the United States can help answer questions in regards to Tasigna lawsuits before filing a claim.

Tasigna (nilotinib), manufactured and marketed by Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis AG, is widely believed to be one of the most effective anti-cancer chemotherapy drugs on the market but it also carries extreme side effects. Tasigna has shown to be so effective in fighting cancer that patients in remission may stop taking the drug, according to the FDA. The potential for someday stopping chemotherapy altogether is a huge incentive for people looking for relief from chemotherapy's harsh yet common side effects of hair loss, nausea, vomiting, fever, weakness, lethargy, etc. and hoping to squeeze a few more years from life. In addition, according to Cancer Therapy Advisor, certain patients may also reduce the frequency in which they are administered the drug (Tasigna) from "twice daily to once daily at a reduced dosage without compromising the drugs cancer-fighting ability."

Tasigna is prescribed to patients, 3 years old and older, that suffer from Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (Ph+ CML) in its chronic phase. This means that Tasigna is basically a drug of last resort and to be taken when all others have failed. Tasigna owes its effectiveness in killing cancer cells to its overall toxicity. Tasigna is to be taken twice per day until the doctor says otherwise. Tasigna patients suffer from extreme side effects that can include atherosclerosis and sudden death. Atherosclerosis is the narrowing of the arteries going to and from the leg (femoral artery), heart (coronary artery), lungs (Pulmonary Artery) and brain, the (Cerebral Artery). Atherosclerosis can narrow the arteries to the point where not enough blood circulates to feed the cells in the feet and toes and usually requires amputation. QT prolongation also occurs in patients taking Tasigna which can lead to sudden death from having a heart attack.

Tasigna's cancer-fighting prowess aside, a potential problem is developing, however, in the way in which Tasigna is marketed and the patients that receive the drug. Rather than using Tasigna as a drug of last resort, Novartis sales representative may be pushing doctor to use Tasigna in less life-threatening situations. As a result, more and younger patients, under 65, are developing atherosclerosis and being forced into having bypass surgery to reroute the blood flow destroyed by Tasigna. It is yet to be determined how long Tasigna coronary patients will live post bypass operation if they continue to receive Tasigna.

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OnderLaw, LLC is a St. Louis personal injury law firm handling serious injury and death claims across the country. Its mission is the pursuit of justice, no matter how complex the case or strenuous the effort. The Onder Law Firm has represented clients throughout the United States in pharmaceutical and medical device litigation such as Pradaxa, Lexapro and Yasmin/Yaz, where the firm's attorneys held significant leadership roles in the litigation, as well as Actos, DePuy, Risperdal and others. The Onder Law Firm has won more than $300 million in four talcum powder ovarian cancer lawsuits in St. Louis. Law firms throughout the nation often seek its experience and expertise on complex litigation.