Tasigna Lawsuits Mount, as Plaintiff in Washington State Accuses Novartis of Failing to Warn that Leukemia Drug Had Been Linked to Atherosclerosis-Related Conditions, Bernstein Liebhard LLP Reports

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Mar 28, 2018, 12:32 ET

NEW YORK, March 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A man from Vancouver, Washington has filed a new Tasigna lawsuit accusing Novartis AG of failing to warn patients and doctors that the leukemia drug had been linked to severe, accelerated and irreversible atherosclerosis-related conditions.

According to a complaint filed on February 26th in the U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington, the Plaintiff had been taking Gleevec (imatinib) to treat Chronic Myeloid Leukemia but was switched to Tasigna by his oncologist, even though he had achieved remission. At the time of the switch, the Plaintiff suffered from no atherosclerosis-related conditions. He subsequently suffered a stroke at the age of 66 and alleges that his use of Tasigna caused him to develop rapidly progressing atherosclerosis in his carotid arteries. (Case No. Case 3:18-cv-05149)

"Our Firm has heard from a number of patients who allegedly experienced similar complications following the initiation of Tasigna therapy. We will be monitoring this growing litigation closely," says Sandy A. Liebhard, a partner at Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing victims of defective drugs and medical devices. The firm is offering free legal reviews to individuals who were diagnosed with arteriosclerosis or related conditions following the initiation of Tasigna treatment.

Tasigna and Arteriosclerosis

Tasigna (nilotinib) was approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration in 2007 to treat patients suffering from Philadelphia chromosome-positive Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (Ph+ CML). The medication belongs to a class of drugs called tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), which block a protein called Bcr-ABl to stop the growth of cancer cells.

Since its approval, several studies have suggested that patients treated with Tasigna may be more likely to develop arteriosclerosis-related condition. For example, a 2016 study published in the American Journal of Hematology linked Tasigna to an increased risk for peripheral artery disease and sudden death.

In 2013, researchers writing in Leukemia reported that patients treated with Tasigna had higher rates of arterial disease compared to those prescribed imatinib.

The Canadian label for Tasigna was updated in 2013 to note a potential risk of arteriosclerosis, after a review revealed that 277 reports of the condition had been logged with the Novartis global safety database between January 1^st, 2005 and January 31, 2013. Canadian doctors were advised to closely monitor their Tasigna patients for signs of the life-threatening artery disease.

In March 2016, what appears to have been the nation's first Tasigna lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, on behalf of a man who died from complications related to arteriosclerosis shortly after he began taking the drug in 2012. According to the complaint, the Decedent was diagnosed with peripheral artery disease in September 2013, with 90-100% blockages in his legs. He died due to complications in March 2014, even though his physician had prescribed an alternative treatment after reading about the possible association between Tasigna and arteriosclerosis in a medical journal. (Case No. No. 16-393)

Tasigna patients who were diagnosed with arteriosclerosis while using this medication, or their surviving family members, may be entitled to compensation for their medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, wrongful death, and more. To learn more about filing a Tasigna lawsuit, please visit Bernstein Liebhard LLP's website, or call 800-511-5092 to arrange for a free, no obligation case review.

About Bernstein Liebhard LLP
Bernstein Liebhard LLP is a New York-based law firm exclusively representing injured persons in complex individual and class action lawsuits nationwide since 1993. As a national law firm, Bernstein Liebhard LLP possesses all of the legal and financial resources required to successfully challenge billion dollar pharmaceutical and medical device companies. As a result, our attorneys and legal staff have been able to recover more than $3.5 billion on behalf of our clients. Bernstein Liebhard LLP is honored to once again be named to The National Law Journal's "Plaintiffs' Hot List," recognizing the top plaintiffs firms in the country. This year's nomination marks the thirteenth year the firm has been named to this prestigious annual list.

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Bernstein Liebhard LLP
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SOURCE Bernstein Liebhard LLP