A man has filed a suit against Eli Lilly claiming that the company’s erectile dysfunction drug Cialis gave him skin cancer. Bruce Montgomery of Ramsey County in Minnesota was prescribed and used Cialis from 2006 to 2016. In 2013 he discovered an abnormality on his cheek. A biopsy led to a diagnosis of melanoma, an aggressive and deadly type of skin cancer. The lawsuit claims that there is evidence from research that Cialis could cause melanoma, but that the company did not adequately warn patients of that risk.

Cialis/Tadalfil

Cialis is the brand name for the generic drug tadalfil, developed by Eli Lilly, the Indiana-based pharmaceutical company. It was first approved for use by the U.S. food and Drug Administration in 20013 indicated for the treatment of erectile dysfunction and benign prostatic hyperplasia, also known as enlarged prostate. It is a vasodilator of the phosphodiesterase class, which means that it opens blood vessels to increase the flow of blood.

Erectile Dysfunction Drugs and Cancer

The current prescribing information for Cialis includes very little information about any risks of developing cancer while using the drug. It is not included as a possible adverse reaction or side effect, but within the last couple of years studies of erectile dysfunction drugs have uncovered a connection to cancer, including melanoma.

One of these studies, which appeared in JAMA Internal Medicine in 2014, showed that men who used Viagra, a drug similar to Cialis, had an 84 percent increased risk of developing melanoma over the course of ten years. Another study, published in Cell Reports, found that phosphodiesterase drugs can increase growth of tumors in the body.

The JAMA study showed a connection between Viagra and melanoma, but not that the drug actually causes it and the Cell Reports study did not specifically look at Cialis and melanoma. In spite of this, the evidence is compelling, especially for those men who have used the drug, and similar drugs like Cialis, and ended up with a deadly type of skin cancer.

Cialis Lawsuits

Montgomery’s case against Eli Lilly is just one of several lawsuits targeting the makers of erectile dysfunction drugs over melanoma. Several other men in Ohio, Texas, Illinois, and other states are also suing Eli Lilly and there are cases against Pfizer, the maker of Viagra. There are now over 100 similar cases pending against the makers of erectile dysfunction prescription drugs.

The cases all include men who developed melanoma and who claim that the drug makers failed to warn them that skin cancer was a risk of taking the drugs. Montgomery has stated in his case that if he had known of the risk he either would not have taken Cialis or would have taken it more cautiously and monitored his skin health more carefully.

How these lawsuits will proceed remains to be seen and ongoing research will likely play an important role. More studies could strengthen the connection between these drugs and melanoma, which would help the men affected make their cases and get justice. Drug makers like Eli Lilly have a responsibility to communicate all risks to consumers and if they failed to do so in the case of melanoma, they will end up paying out big settlements.