A recently filed lawsuit in a federal court claims that an Illinois woman died as a result of bladder cancer she developed while take the popular type 2 diabetes medication Actos.
This is the latest lawsuit to claim that taking Actos resulted in serious health complications, namely bladder cancer. For some people who experience this dangerous side effect, like this woman from Illinois, that complication can be fatal. The lawsuit was filed on her behalf on Nov. 16 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana where it is combined with others making similar claims about the popular diabetes medication. That Multidistrict Litigation is known as In Re: Actos (Pioglitazone) Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 6:11-md-2299).
The Illinois woman’s estate is being represented in the lawsuit by the national law firm of Parker Waichman LLP, which represents several Plaintiffs in that MDL and other Actos bladder cancer lawsuits filed in other courtrooms across the country. Takeda Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly and Co. are named as Defendants in the lawsuit.
Millions are prescribed Actos every year as a treatment to regulate their blood sugar levels to control symptoms of type 2 diabetes. More and more Americans are developing type 2 diabetes, especially later in life, as their sedentary lifestyles and poor diets often lead them to this life-threatening diagnosis. And as more people develop diabetes, more are turning to prescription drug treatments like Actos for answers.
This lawsuit claims that taking Actos caused the Illinois woman to develop a fatal form of bladder cancer. It also claims that the makers and marketers of Actos in the U.S. falsely represented the safety of the drug to the public and to regulatory agencies that approved the drug for use. For the Illinois woman, the effects of Actos did not take long to present themselves. After being prescribed the drug in 2010, the woman died of bladder cancer just a year later.
The suit contends, according to a press release from the law firm, “the decedent’s wrongful death is a direct result of using Actos, which caused extensive pain and suffering, severe emotional distress, and substantially reduced the Decedent’s ability to enjoy life.” It also claims the Illinois woman would have never agreed to start taking Actos had she been aware of the risk of bladder cancer associated with the drug.
It was not until the summer of last year that the Food and Drug Administration finally warned that taking Actos could lead to bladder cancer. The drug has been available on the market since 1999 but its use was overshadowed by diabetics who were prescribed the drug’s top competitor, Avandia. When Avandia was essentially withdrawn from the market because of its connection to life-threatening side effects.
