Leukemia Drug Tasigna May Pose Dangers to Patients

What is Tasigna?

Tasigna is a drug manufactured by Novartis to treat Philadelphia-positive chronic myeloid leukemia. Tasigna is considered a second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor drug, replacing first-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors like Gleevec. In 2015 alone, Gleevec netted Novartis $4.7 billion in global sales, so it is no surprise why the company wanted to replace Gleevec as soon as the patent expired.

In 2017, 28 Tasigna capsules sold for $12,104.20 at Wal-Mart, which is a huge reason for the company to hide known adverse symptoms. Now, despite the fact that a wrongful death claim has been filed against Novartis for injuries caused by Tasigna, the company continues to run two large Tasigna clinical trials on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, hoping to extend FDA approval.

Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia is a long-term, treatable form of cancer which can become a chronic disease if the patient is not treated properly. CML is a disease in which a person’s bone marrow makes too many white blood cell; nearly 9,000 new cases of CML will be reported each year in the U.S., and there were more than one thousand deaths from CML in 2017 alone.

Current Lawsuit Not the First Troubles Facing Tasigna

Prior to the current Tasigna wrongful death claim, Novartis faced misconduct charges in 2013 after Japanese officials opened an investigation which showed Novartis failed to include 33 adverse event reports from a clinical trial of 3,000 subjects which compared different leukemia drug outcomes. Several high-level employees of Novartis were terminated at that time, due to the alleged cover-up of safety issues related to Tasigna.

Then in 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a federal lawsuit against Novartis for illegally marketing Tasigna. Novartis paid the DOJ $390 million to settle the lawsuit which also charged Novartis of participating in a kickback scheme, paying pharmacies to push Tasigna prescriptions to Medicaid and Medicare patients. This particular settlement was the largest government recovery in history from a False Claims Act violation.

Canadian Officials Were Warned—United States Officials Were Not

Canadian officials were warned about the potential hazards associated with Tasigna in 2013. At that time, Novartis and Health Canada release a warning regarding Tasigna’s increased risk of causing patients to develop atherosclerosis-related complications. Because U.S. officials were not subsequently warned, the current wrongful death claim cites this as evidence that Novartis AG intentionally hid side effects from American consumers.

California Wrongful Death Claim

In 2016, the daughter of a patient filed a wrongful death claim on behalf of her father who died in 2014 of a massive stroke, after his doctor switched him from Gleevec to Tasigna. He had taken Tasigna for about a year, yet began developing “severe, accelerated and irreversible” atherosclerosis-related conditions almost immediately after beginning the drug. His femoral arteries were 100 percent narrowed, his coronary arteries were 40-60 percent narrowed, and his cerebral arteries were 70 percent narrowed.

The plaintiff’s father was never warned—nor were his doctors—about the potential atherosclerosis-related risks, even though Novartis was well-aware of these risks. In fact, the wrongful death claim asserts Novartis has been aware that Tasigna could cause serious, even deadly atherosclerosis issues, yet continued marketing the drug aggressively. Their claim includes causes of action for strict products liability, negligence and wrongful death.

What is Atherosclerosis?

Atherosclerosis is a disease which causes plaque to build up inside the arteries. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute says that atherosclerosis can affect any artery in a person’s body. Those arteries can include arteries to the heart, arteries to the brain, arteries to the arms and legs, and even arteries to the pelvic region and kidneys. Particularly in the legs, a lack of blood circulation can lead to serious infections and tissue damage which can, in turn, cause amputations.

Getting Help for Your Tasigna Injuries

Other serious symptoms associated with Tasigna include: low blood count, unexplained bleeding or bruising, unexplained weakness, irregular heartbeat, decreased blood flow, damage to the liver, pancreatitis, brain bleeds, and Tumor Lysis Syndrome, which can result in kidney failure and the need for dialysis treatment.

If you or a loved one has developed atherosclerosis-related issues after taking the leukemia drug Tasigna, in addition to seeking immediate medical help, it could be beneficial for you to speak to an experienced Tasigna attorney who can help you receive compensation for your injuries.

The national dangerous drug lawyers at Golomb Legal have successfully represented individuals in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and throughout the United States.