Though the company is appealing the October 2014 verdict, Takeda Pharmaceuticals took a $2 million loss when a court ruled that the diabetes drug Actos could cause Actos bladder cancer. Much of the case hinged on testimony that Takeda Pharmaceuticals hid information about the risk of Actos bladder cancer from the public and the medical community.

Plaintiff Francis W., a Philadelphia resident, claims that she developed bladder cancer from Actos. According to her Actos bladder cancer lawsuit, Francis’ physicians took her off Actos shortly after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated Actos’ safety information to include information on the risk of Actos bladder cancer. However, Francis had been taking Actos for seven years and despite ceasing the drug in 2011, she developed bladder cancer. According to witness testimony in the case, Takeda was aware of the risk of bladder cancer and Actos.

Expert Testifies Takeda Covered Up Actos Risks

In a statement to the jury, pharmacologist and toxicologist Randall Tackett of the University of Georgia provided recorded testimony that when Actos was first developed, Takeda pressured a business partner involved in the drug’s development to say that they had abandoned research on Actos due to efficacy concerns rather than concerns regarding Actos bladder cancer, as was the real case. This allegedly took place in the early 1990s when Takeda and others were working to develop Actos into a viable diabetes drug.

Tackett’s testimony drew attention to correspondence between Takeda and the Upjohn Company. In 1993, the Upjohn Company announced that it was ceasing research into Actos due to safety concerns. Allegedly, Takeda asked the Upjohn Company to instead say that it was abandoning Actos research due to concerns that it did not treat diabetes as well as other drugs.

Studies Link Actos To Bladder Cancer

Various research studies have supported the idea that Actos can cause bladder cancer. The earliest animal testing trials of Actos indicated that rats taking the drug had an increased risk of developing tumors. Postmarket studies indicated that patients taking Actos had a higher rate of bladder cancer than those who did not take Actos. Tackett’s testimony further supported the claim that Takeda did not do enough to warn the public, not updating the drug’s warning information until the FDA mandates the changes.

“As soon as there is any reasonable association with a particular adverse event, that would be something you’d want to have communicated to the physician or the prescriber,” said Tackett in his testimony for the Actos lawsuit.

Actos Bladder Cancer Lawsuits

Takeda has filed an appeal, arguing that Francis’ bladder cancer was not caused by Actos. Meanwhile, several other courts, in California and Louisiana have similarly awarded plaintiffs in Actos bladder cancer lawsuits multi-million dollar sums, including those who have alleged that Takeda covered up the risk of Actos bladder cancer.

Actos bladder cancer lawsuits typically allege that Takeda Pharmaceuticals was aware of the risk of Actos bladder cancer but purposely concealed the information and endangering the public. These lawsuits seek compensation for medical care, wrongful death, lost wages, lost income potential, legal fees, and other costs allegedly associated with Actos bladder cancer.

The Actos Bladder Cancer Lawsuit is Case No. 120702272, in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas.

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual Actos lawsuit or Actos class action lawsuit is best for you. [In general, Actos bladder cancer lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.] Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

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