Drug Injury Lawyers Blog
Diabetes patients who are wondering whether their serious health complications may be a result of taking Actos should contact our drug injury law firm right away. Throughout the US, Altman & Altman, LLP represents clients with Actos lawsuits against manufacturer Takeda Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
Actos is still sold in the US even though last year the US Food and Drug Administration put out a safety warning that pioglitazone-Actos is the brand version-may increase the chances of bladder cancer when taken for more than a year. Meantime, after an official French study found this same connection, Germany and France both suspended the sale and use of this drug.
The evidence of the serious health risks involving Actos keeps growing. Among several studies rendering similar results was the one published in the British Medical Journal in May. According to McGill University researchers in Montreal, an evaluation of over 115,000 patients found that taking Actos for more than two years doubles the bladder cancer risk. They also found that Actos users with type II diabetes that were taking the drug for the first time had an 83% greater risk of developing bladder cancer than other patients. Considering that the drug is generally prescribed to treat type II diabetes, this finding is disturbing.
Now, the number of people stepping forward to file their Actos injury lawsuits is growing. Among the plaintiffs’ allegations is that Takeda either knew or should have known that prolonged use of Actos came with such serious health complications and that the drug maker should have warned the public. Recently, one woman filed a $10 million Actos lawsuit against Takeda because she was diagnosed with bladder cancer last year after regularly taking the drug for five years. Many of the plaintiffs are also wondering why, with so much evidence linking Actos to bladder cancer, the manufacturer has not added adequate warnings to its label.
Thousands of Actos lawsuits are expected to be filed by the drug’s victims when all is said and done. In an addition to multidistrict litigation cases, there are large consolidated court cases in California and Illinois. Meantime, Takeda is also contending with a whistleblower lawsuit accusing the pharmaceutical company of regularly concealing incriminating information so that drug so that regulators would think that Actos didn’t come with such high risks.
The whistleblower, Dr. Helen Ge, formerly worked for Takeda. She is the one who put together a lot of the safety reports about Actos that were required by the FDA. She claims that her superiors pressured her to downplay the drug’s side effects and modify the reports.
Symptoms of Bladder Cancer:
• Blood in the urine • Straining or pain during urination • Urinating often • Incontinence • Fatigue • Bone tenderness • Pain • Weight loss
FDA Drug Safety Communication: Update to ongoing safety review of Actos (pioglitazone) and increased risk of bladder cancer, FDA, June 15, 2011
The use of pioglitazone and the risk of bladder cancer in people with type 2 diabetes: nested case-control study, British Medical Journal, May 31, 2012
More Blog Posts:
Boston Dangerous Drug Lawsuits: YAZ, Ocella, and Yasmin Birth Control Pills Linked to Deep Vein Thrombosis, Pulmonary Embolism, Stroke, Heart Attack, and Myocardial Infarction Side Effects, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, June 19, 2012
Pradaxa Lawsuits Seek Damages for Bleeding Injuries, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, July 25, 2012
Study Links Depo-Provera to Greater Breast Cancer Risk in Young Women, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, July 16, 2012
There is time to bring an Actos lawsuit on your behalf or for the wrongful death of a loved on. Contact our drug injury law firm today.
