A recent study shows patients taking the widely prescribed type-2 diabetes medication Actos may have a greater risk of suffering heart failure. Actos is the 10th best selling medication in the United States and is an especially popular treatment for type-2 diabetes.

However, clinical studies have found that the drug increases the likelihood of developing serious side effects including bladder cancer and heart disease.

According to recent findings, the diabetes medications Actos and Avandia may place patients at a 4 percent higher risk for developing a serious heart condition. The clinical study followed more than 36,000 individuals diagnosed with diabetes over a 33-month time frame. During that time, diabetes patients were given either Actos or Avandia for 14 months.

Actos Side Effects

Actos was approved by the FDA in 1999 to help treat type-2 diabetes, which is the most common form of diabetes. The medication assists the body in order to produce adequate levels of insulin needed for energy. It also helps regulate blood sugar more effectively. However effective the medication may be to treat diabetes, consumers have reported several serious side effects including heart failure in patients with no previous history of heart problems.

After a heart attack study performed in 2007, Actos became the diabetes medication leader over Avandia as the study reported Avandia carried a 43 percent increased risk of heart attacks. This report helped generate more than $3 billion in sales of Actos.

A more recent study published by the American Heart Association compared Actos and Avandia to discover the actual risk of a heart disease side effect. After 14 months of treatment, 599 patients taking Actos experienced a heart attack, heart failure or death, while 602 Avandia consumers experienced the same. More than 200 diabetes patients ended up dying over the course of Actos/Avandia treatment. Researchers concluded both drugs carry a 4 percent increased risk for developing a heart attack side effect.

FDA Actos Warnings

The FDA began requiring Actos to carry a black-box warning for heart failure in 2007 after medical research found a link between the two. Heart failure occurs when the heart can’t meet the blood flow needs of the body and starts becoming congested with fluids. If this occurs, breathing becomes labored and organs begin to fail.

The type-2 diabetes medication has also carried a FDA bladder cancer warning since 2011 after clinical studies suggested the drug could increase the likelihood of bladder cancer in up to 40 percent of patients.

Actos Lawsuits

More than 20 million Americans have been diagnosed with type-2 diabetes and are prescribed medications like Actos to treat the condition. Hundreds of Actos lawsuits have been filed across the United States by patients who claim they were not adequately warned of the heart disease risks associated with taking the medication. Actos attorneys are also pursuing wrongful death lawsuits against drug manufacturer Takeda Pharmaceuticals.

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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