In light of an Actos bladder cancer settlement, lawyers investigate more patient claims that the diabetes medication caused them to develop bladder cancer.

Research suggests that Actos, a drug used to treat type-2 diabetes could be linked to the development of bladder cancer. Patients have already filed thousands of lawsuits claiming that Takeda, the drug’s manufacturer, knew or should have known of the link, and knowingly exposed patients to a serious health risk.

Allegedly, Takeda failed to inform patients, federal regulators, and medical professionals that the drug had been linked to the development of bladder cancer in a number of studies. Plaintiffs claim the connection was shown in both human and animal studies beginning in the early 2000s

One study showed that patients who took the drug longer had a higher risk of developing bladder cancer, and that the higher the dose of Actos taken, the higher their risk was of developing bladder cancer.

As a result of these findings, in 2011 the FDA asked Takeda to include a warning on Actos’s packaging that there was a potential risk for developing bladder cancer, and in 2016, the FDA released its own warning to the public that Actos may increase a patient’s risk of bladder cancer.

Actos Bladder Cancer Settlement and Lawsuits

Given that there is at least an eleven-year gap between when the first studies showed a link between Actos and bladder cancer and when the first bladder cancer warning was required on Actos’s label, may patients argue that Takeda marketed and sold the drug despite knowing that it was dangerous to patients.

Allegedly, Takeda made claims that the drug was safe and effective, despite significant evidence to the contrary. The company has since faced around 9,000 Actos bladder cancer lawsuits.

In 2014, Takeda, and Eli Lilly, a company that helped to make the drug, were assessed $9 billion in punitive damages to patients, after a jury determined that the companies did indeed have knowledge of the drug’s link to bladder cancer and that they concealed that information. A judge later reduced the $9 billion to $36.8 million.

However, in 2015, Takeda settled another lawsuit also claiming that the company knew of the Actos bladder cancer connection. In that Actos bladder cancer settlement, the company was required to shell out $2.4 billion, but continued to deny any allegations.

Even the large Actos bladder cancer settlement did not mark the end of Takeda’s legal troubles. In 2018, the company was hit with yet another bladder class action lawsuit.

As customers continue to take action against the company, lawyers are still looking for more Actos patients to join possible Actos lawsuits. If you or a loved one took the type-2 diabetes medication Actos and later developed bladder cancer, you may have a valid legal claim and could join an Actos lawsuit to gain compensation for injury.