A Minnesota man who developed bladder cancer, allegedly due to his use of Actos (pioglitazone), is being represented by the national law firm, Parker Waichman LLP.
A number of studies suggest that the use of the Type II diabetes drug, Actos, can increase the risk of bladder cancer; the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also warned that using Actos for more than one year can significantly increase the chances of developing bladder cancer. Another study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) revealed that bladder cancer risks doubled after two years on Actos.
The lawsuit was filed on November 16, 2012 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, Lafayette Division (Case No. 6:12-cv-2903). This case is one of many cases pending in the Actos multidistrict litigation (MDL) entitled In Re: Actos (Pioglitazone) Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 6:11-md-2299). Jerrold S. Parker, founding partner of Parker Waichman LLP, serves on the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee in the litigation. Takeda Pharmaceuticals America, Inc., Takeda Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. f/k/a Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc., Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, and Eli Lilly and Company have been named as defendants in this case.
According to the complaint, the man started taking Actos in 2011, later developing bladder cancer, allegedly due to his using the drug. The lawsuit also alleges that the defendants made misrepresentations and omissions concerning Actos and actively concealed its risks. Several, safer alternatives exist for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes, and the plaintiff had not been adequately warned about the risks of using Actos, the lawsuit further alleges. The plaintiff is suing for a number of damages, including severe mental and physical pain and suffering, permanent injuries, emotional distress, and economic loss due to medical expenses and living-related expenses due to a new lifestyle.
As we’ve explained, a growing body of research suggests that Actos is associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer. In fact, in June 2011, the FDA announced that the warning label on Actos would be updated to include this risk. The new label warns that using Actos for more than one year may significantly increase the risk of developing bladder cancer; data is based on an ongoing, 10-year study conducted by Kaiser Permanente.
Last May, the BMJ published a study revealing that patients who took Actos for two years were twice as likely to develop bladder cancer. Another study, published last summer in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, found that use of Actos was linked to a 22 percent increased risk of developing bladder cancer.
As we’ve said, thousands of people have come forward who believe they’ve either contracted bladder cancer or have unknowingly been put at risk of this life-threatening disease because the makers of the drug, Japan-based Takeda Pharmaceuticals, hid evidence that showed its popular drug was linked to this dangerous side effect.
Meanwhile, we previously wrote that another study, funded, in part, by the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, found that taking thiazolidinedione (TZD) drugs, like pioglitazone (Actos) and rosiglitazone, instead of other drugs that aim to lower glucose increases a person’s risk of suffering a hip fracture. The risk is highest for a distal hip fracture, mostly among women, though men do face a significantly increased risk of suffering similar consequences while taking TZDs. The study found that the risk of suffering a hip fracture while taking Actos appears to increase with time on the drug. There are warnings on the labels of Actos, specifically, that acknowledge the risk of bone fractures (particularly of the hip) while taking Actos in the treatment of Type II diabetes.
