What is Adcirca?
Adcirca (generic: tadalafil) is used to treat peripheral arterial hypertension (PAH), or high blood pressure in the arteries that go from the heart to the lungs. The medicine is classified as a phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor (PDE-5), and works by relaxing certain blood vessels, which increases blood flow to the lungs and lowers blood pressure. Adcirca is manufactured by Eli Lilly & Co., and was first approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in May 2009.
What’s the problem?
In April 2014, a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that Viagra (another PDE-5 inhibitor in the same class as Adcirca) may increase the risk of melanoma by up to 84%. Even when taking into account the participants’ medical histories, ultraviolet light exposure and other major illnesses, the study’s conclusions remained the same. To date, the labeling of neither Viagra nor Adcirca contains a warning about the risk of skin cancer.
Melanoma Symptoms
- Mole on the skin that grows, changes shape or turns different colors
- Mole that looks scaly, oozes or starts bleeding
- Dark spot on the skin that looks like a mole, but grows rapidly
- Pain, itch, or bleeding in a newly-formed spot on the skin
- Streak underneath a fingernail or toenail
- Bruise on the foot that does not heal
What Are Adcirca Lawsuits Alleging?
All of the complaints filed over medications like Adcirca allege that manufacturers knew or should have known about the link between their products and melanoma, yet withheld this information from the public and medical communities in an attempt to maximize profits. If drug-makers had adequately warned about the risk of skin cancer, many men would have avoided the medicines and not gone on to contract the disease, according to the lawsuits.
Have Any Cases Been Settled?
There have been no reports of manufacturers offering settlements in lawsuits alleging skin cancer from medications like Adcirca. The litigation is still in its early stages, and a significant amount of discovery needs to be performed before the parties enter into any settlement negotiations.
Adcirca Side Effects
In addition to being linked to an increased risk for melanoma skin cancer, Adcirca may cause the following serious side effects in some users:
- Changes in vision / sudden vision loss
- Ringing in your ears (tinnitus)
- Sudden hearing loss
- Chest pain or heavy feeling
- Nausea
- Sweating
- General ill feeling (malaise)
- Irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia)
- Shortness of breath
- Swelling in the hands or feet
- Seizure (convulsions)
- Penis erection that is painful or lasts 4 hours or longer (priapism)
Do I Have an Adcirca Lawsuit?
The Class Action Litigation Group at our law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers that focus on the representation of plaintiffs in Adcirca lawsuits. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently accepting new melanoma cases in all 50 states.
Free Case Evaluation: Again, if you got skin cancer from Adcirca, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to a settlement by filing a suit and we can help.