Tasigna Lawsuit Documents Point to Company Wrongdoing

Lawyers for Tasigna atherosclerosis plaintiffs show company officials were aware of increased risk of atherosclerosis by 2011

Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - Attorneys for a Tasigna Lawsuit now underway in California have produced documents which may provide the key piece of evidence indicating Novartis officials to be at fault. Court documents show the pharmaceutical company was aware of the risk of Tasigna atherosclerosis by at least 2011 but failed to warn patients or doctors. In fact, the American medical community and the general public have never been formally warned of the risk for severe Tasigna side effects, learning instead about the drug‘s side effects through news of Tasigna lawsuits.

This particular Tasigna atherosclerosis lawsuit, which is underway in U.S. Disctrict Court in the Eastern District of California, is alleging wrongful death, and blames a lack of Tasigna side effects warning information. The patient, a man, took another leukemia drug without symptoms. When his doctor switched him to Tasigna, the plaintiff developed symptoms of atherosclerosis immediately. The Tasigna lawsuit alleges that because the physician was unaware of the risk for atherosclerosis from the drug, he did not properly diagnose the symptoms that his patient presented. By the time atherosclerosis was diagnosed, it had become far too advanced to treat.

Atherosclerosis is a condition characterized by a thickening of the arterial walls. A fibrofatty plaque develops, the presence of which narrows the arterial passages. The condition is known as peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and impedes the normal and essential flow of blood through the arteries. Typically, it affects the legs most acutely, but can impact the limbs in general. Peripheral arterial disease from Tasigna can result in tissue death requiring limb amputation, infection, and a range of cardiovascular problems.

In the case of the current Tasigna arterial disease lawsuit, the plaintiff was suffering from a 90-100% blockage in femoral arteries by the time his condition was discovered. The lawsuit alleges the condition was too advanced to reverse, and the plaintiff died as a result of complications. According to the court documents, had the doctor been aware of the potential for atherosclerosis and compromise of the arteries, this condition could have been diagnosed much sooner. Had the doctor intervened with treatment at the first sign of symptoms, the plaintiff‘s life may have been spared.

Tasigna was approved in the United States by the FDA in 2007. The drug has always been accompanied by a Black Box warning, indicating severe and life-threatening side effects may result from its use. The aim of providing a Black Box warning is to alert both patients and doctors of the potential for risks. This allows patients to make informed choices about their care and treatment, and puts doctors on the alert for potential side effects. By failing to warn of the risk of Tasigna atherosclerosis, the company kept both patients and doctors in the dark.

The Tasigna death lawsuit has been underway for much of 2017 and is expected to conclude in the near future. Check back for further Tasigna lawsuit news updates on this and other cases.

The case is 16-393 - LAURIS ET AL V. NOVARTIS AG ET AL.

Information Provided by The Onder Law Firm

The Onder Law Firm 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. Onder, Shelton, O‘Leary & Peterson 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 firm has represented thousands of persons in these and other products liability litigation, including DePuy hip replacement systems, which settled for $2.5 billion and Pradaxa internal bleeding, which settled for $650 million. 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.

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