Man Says Viagra Puts|Cancer Survivors at Risk

CHICAGO (CN) - Pfizer failed to adequately warn that the use of Viagra significantly increases a person's risk of developing skin cancer, a lawsuit claims.

Edward Corboy Jr. sued Pfizer Inc. in Cook County Court, claiming the pharmaceutical giant recklessly promoted Viagra as a safe medication for skin cancer patients when it was aware that quite the opposite was true.

In his complaint, Corboy says he was prescribed Viagra to treat his erectile dysfunction in 2008, and that in December 2012, a biopsy on a mole on his neck revealed melanoma, necessitating an excision procedure to remove the cancer.

Corboy says a medical study published months before his biopsy in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that sildenafil citrate/Viagra use "increases the invasiveness of melanoma cells and was significantly associated with an increased risk of subsequent melanoma."

As a result, he says, "Defendant knew, or should have known, that Viagra increased the risk of developing melanoma and increased the invasiveness of melanoma cells in those who ingested it."

The complaint continues: "Despite defendant's knowledge regarding the risks of Viagra, it did not sufficiently warn doctors who prescribed or patients who were prescribed Viagra of the risk of developing melanoma.

"Plaintiff's use of Viagra over the course of several years put him at an increased risk of developing melanoma and for such melanoma to become more invasive than if plaintiff had not ingested Viagra," the complaint says.

Corboy says that he would not have taken Viagra if he had been properly warned about the risks.

He seeks the payment of his potential future medical bills, and punitive damages for negligence, strict liability, breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty, fraudulent misrepresentation, and unjust enrichment.

Corboy is represented by Scott Morgan of the Morgan Law Firm, and John Sawin of the Sawin Law Firm. Both practices are located in Chicago.

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