The FDA has recently linked Actos (pioglitazone), a popular medication used to control blood sugar levels for Type 2 diabetes, to increased risks of bladder cancer in patients who had taken the medication for at least one year and at a high dose. Pioglitazone is also found in Duetact, Actoplus Met, and Actoplus Met XR.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
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 bladder cancer, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Dangerous Drug Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
UPDATE: Takeda Settles Actos Litigation for $2.3 Billion
September 16, 2015 — Takeda has enough participants to ink a $2.3 billion settlement for about 10,000 people injured by bladder cancer after taking Actos. Click here to read more.
August 18, 2015 — Takeda Pharmaceutical’s $2.37 billion proposed settlement with thousands of people injured by Actos did not attract enough claimants by a deadline on August 12, raising doubts about whether the deal will survive. Click here to read more.
July 22, 2015 — Actos has been linked to a 41% increased risk of pancreatic cancer, but no increased risk of bladder cancer, in a 10-year study ordered by the FDA. Click here to read more.
April 29, 2015 — Takeda Pharmaceuticals Co. has agreed to pay $2.37 billion to settle the “vast majority” of lawsuits accusing the company of failing to warn about the risk of bladder cancer from Actos. Click here to read more.
February 12, 2015 — A man who used Actos for three years before being diagnosed with bladder cancer has been awarded $2.3 million in compensation by a jury in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. Click here to read more.
January 23, 2015 — Takeda has been hit with a lawsuit by the family of a man who died from bladder cancer after taking Actos for four years. Click here to read more.
January 14, 2015 — Opening arguments have been made to a jury in Philadelphia by lawyers for a man who developed bladder cancer after taking Actos. Click here to read more.
October 28, 2014 — A federal judge in Louisiana has slashed more than 99% off a record-setting $9 billion jury verdict against Takeda Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly & Co., allowing just $36.8 million in punitive damages to a plaintiff who developed bladder cancer after taking Actos. Click here to read more.
October 3, 2014 — A jury in Philadelphia has awarded $2 million to a woman who developed bladder cancer after taking Actos. Click here to read more.
October 2, 2014 — Bloomberg reports that trial attorneys have accused Takeda Pharmaceuticals of concealing information about bladder cancer to protect billions of dollars in profits on Actos. Click here to read more.
July 2, 2014 — A ruling issued June 30 by U.S. District Judge Rebecca Doherty has determined that Takeda Pharmaceuticals intentionally destroyed or deleted documents that were critical to 3,000 lawsuits involving Actos. Click here to read more.
June 2, 2014 — A jury in Las Vegas has awarded a defense verdict in favor of Takeda Pharmaceuticals, ruling against two women who developed bladder cancer after using Actos to treat type-2 diabetes. Attorneys for the women are planning to appeal. Click here to read more.
May 16, 2014 — Bloomberg reports that Takeda has won a trial after a jury found that the drug-maker was not responsible for the death of William Whitlatch, a man who died of bladder cancer in 2006. Click here to read more.
April 8, 2014 — In the seventh-largest jury verdict in U.S. history, Takeda and Eli Lilly have been ordered to pay $9 billion in punitive damages for failing to warn about the risk of bladder cancer. The jury penalized the companies for destroying thousands of documents on over 40 employees involved in development and sales of Actos. Click here to read more.
October 2, 2013 — In the second Actos lawsuit to go to trial, a jury found Takeda liable for failing to warn about the risk of bladder cancer from Actos. Although the jury awarded plaintiff $1.7 million in damages, Takeda convinced Judge Brooke Murdock to throw out the verdict because the plaintiff smoked cigarettes for 30 years. This is the second time Takeda has avoided paying damages after losing in court. Click here to read more.
September 10, 2013 — In the second Actos lawsuit to go before a jury, lawyers argue that Takeda Pharmaceuticals put profits above public safety by failing to warn about the side effects of Actos. Click here to read more.
October 16, 2012 — The Institute for Safe Medicine Practices (ISMP) has identified a “surge of reports” to the FDA’s adverse event reporting system — at least 1,025 reports of Actos bladder cancer since the beginning of 2011. Click here to read more.
October 4, 2012 — 1,000 Actos lawsuits have been filed in federal court in Louisiana. Click here to read more.
August 20, 2012 — The FDA has approved generic Actos (pioglitazone), to be manufactured by Mylan Pharmaceuticals.
August 16, 2012 — A new study has found that the entire thiazolidinedione (TZD) class of type-2 diabetes drugs (including Actos and Avandia) increase the risk of bladder cancer by 2-3 times. Click here to read more.
May 1, 2012 — Takeda has convinced a judge to throw out a $6.5 million award, arguing that plaintiffs’ lawyers did not present sufficient evidence to prove that Jack Cooper’s bladder cancer was caused by Actos. Click here to read more.
April 29, 2012 — The first Actos lawsuit to go to trial, plaintiff Jack Cooper and his wife, Nancy, were awarded $6.5 million. The jury found Takeda liable for failing to warn about the risk of bladder cancer. Click here to read more.
What is Actos?
Actos is a popular diabetes medication prescribed to people with type-2 diabetes to lower high levels of blood sugar. It was approved by the FDA in July of 1999 and is manufactured by Takeda Pharmaceuticals. It is marketed in the U.S. by Eli Lilly & Co.
Actos belongs to a class of drugs called thiazolidinedione (TZD), which has only two other members. Avandia, (rosiglitazone) was pulled from general American markets in May 2011 after the FDA linked it to an increased risk of heart attack. The second member was Rezulin (troglitazone), which was pulled from the market March 2000, after it was linked to severe liver damage resulting in death or transplant.
Actos and Bladder Cancer
In a Safety Announcement published in June 2011, the FDA warned that patients using Actos were at an increased risk of bladder cancer. The FDA updated the Warning and Precautions section of the label on Actos to include this risk information.
The announcement came after an FDA review of data from a five-year analysis found that patients taking high doses of Actos for at least one year had a 40% higher risk of developing bladder cancer. The FDA recommends that doctors should not prescribe Actos to patients who currently have bladder cancer or have had it in the past. Other large studies have linked Actos to as much as an 83% increased risk of bladder cancer.
Symptoms of Bladder Cancer
- Blood in the urine
- Red coloring in the urine
- Urinary urgency
- Pain during urination
- Pain in back or lower abdomen
10-Year Study Links Actos to Pancreatic Cancer and Prostate Cancer
In July 2015, results of a 10-year study were published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). After looking at data on about 200,000 diabetes patients, researchers found a 41% increased risk of pancreatic cancer and a 13% increased risk of prostate cancer associated with Actos.
Actos Lawsuits
Takeda Pharmaceuticals Inc., the manufacturer of Actos, has been hit with over 5,000 lawsuits involving bladder cancer. These lawsuits are not part of an Actos class action — they are individual lawsuits that have been centralized in a federal court in Louisiana.
In April 2014, Takeda was ordered to pay $6 billion in punitive damages to a man who was injured. Eli Lilly & Co. was ordered to pay $3 billion. The plaintiff, Terrance Allen, was also awarded $1.5 million in compensatory damages. Although the massive jury award was reduced to $37 million, a major factor in the jury’s decision was Takeda’s destruction of vital documents on 46 employees who developed and marketed Actos.
Other Medications Containing Pioglitazone
These following medications, all containing Pioglitazone, will feature the FDA new safety warning on the increased risk of bladder cancer:
- Actoplus Met (pioglitazone and metformin)
- Actoplus Met XR (pioglitazone and metformin)
- Duetact (pioglitazone and glimepiride)
What is Type-2 Diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. It is characterized by high levels of sugar in the blood and cellular resistance to insulin. Because body cells and organs need to use sugar to properly function, insulin moves sugar out of the blood and into the cells where it is stored for later use. In people who have type-2 diabetes, insulin does not properly transfer sugar from the blood and into cells, where it is needed. As a result, they develop high blood sugar levels.
Symptoms of Type-2 Diabetes
- Bladder, kidney, or skin infections
- Fatigue
- Weight loss
- Increased hunger
- Increased thirst
- Increased urination
- Blurred vision
- Erectile dysfunction
- Pain or numbness in feet or hands
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 bladder cancer, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Dangerous Drug Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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