October 4, 2012 — The number of Actos lawsuits continues to grow at a rapid pace. Two new lawsuits bring the total to 1,000 that have been filed in federal court. The lawsuits were filed by the families of two men who died of bladder cancer after using the drug — James Person of Georgia and Pablo Astorga of California. The lawsuits allege that Takeda created a defective drug and failed to adequately warn about severe side effects.
Nationwide Actos lawsuits have mostly been centralized into a Multidistrict Litigation (MDL), which brings similar drug litigation into one court for convenience and efficiency. The Actos MDL is located in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, in Lafayette, before Judge Rebecca Doherty.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), researchers, and many other health organizations have issued warnings about the link between Actos and bladder cancer. The drug has been on the market since 1999, but the bladder cancer association was only discovered recently.
French researchers were the first to identify an increased risk of bladder cancer. Sales were restricted in France and Germany. The FDA issued their own Safety Communication in 2011, warning that using Actos for more than one year could increase the risk of bladder cancer. Health Canada issued similar warnings.
Trials will begin in November 2014. Lawyers are currently negotiating issues related to the selection of “bellwether” cases. The cases must be selected carefully and contain injuries and legal issues common to many other cases in the litigation. Decisions on the major legal issues in the cases will help decide the rest of the cases in the MDL more quickly and efficiently. This helps conserve the resources of the court system and expedite a resolution of the matter.
Do I have an Actos Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Actos induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been injured by Actos, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Defective Drug Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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