The diabetes drug Actos, manufactured by Takeda Pharmaceuticals, has become widely used since its FDA approval in 1999. Unfortunately, there may be a link between Actos and bladder cancer that puts diabetes patients taking the drug at serious risk.

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with bladder cancer after treatment with the diabetes drug Actos, you may be able to file a lawsuit and pursue compensation.

Actos and Bladder Cancer Risk

Actos (pioglitazone) is a type-2 diabetes medication manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Takeda, and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1999. However, the FDA released an announcement in 2016 that the drug has been linked to an increased risk of bladder cancer. According to studies, the risk is heightened when patients take higher dosages or take the drug for longer periods of time.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a link between use of Actos and bladder cancer diagnosis, noting that the increased risk warranted a warning of this risk. The FDA required Takeda to update its labels accordingly. An extended study of the drug found that patients who were exposed to Actos at higher dosages and for longer periods of time faced increasingly high risk of bladder cancer.

The FDA noted that the link between Actos and bladder cancer wasn’t definitive, but it did give reason to be cautious. “Overall, we conclude that pioglitazone may be associated with an increased risk in urinary bladder cancer, and we have updated the drug labels to include information about these additional studies,” said the federal agency in a statement.

Actos and Bladder Cancer Lawsuits

So far, Takeda has been hit with thousands of lawsuits linking Actos and bladder cancer. Patients allege that the diabetes medication caused them to develop bladder cancer. For some, bladder cancer can be a fatal disease.

According to lawsuits, Takeda knew that their diabetes medication was associated with an increased risk of developing bladder cancer, yet failed to adequately warn patients—along with the medical community and federal regulators—of the risk, ultimately placing patients in serious danger.

A massive $2.4 billion Actos settlement was reached in 2015, allowing Takeda to resolve thousands of claims.

An Actos bladder cancer class action lawsuit was filed against Takeda and Eli Lilly, who helped market the drug, in May 2018. This new class action lawsuit alleged that Actos was “inefficacious and dangerous,” and that the pharmaceutical companies kept the risks of the medication secret at the expense of their patients’ safety. According to the lawsuit, the companies “knew that, if the medical community were aware that Actos could cause bladder cancer, it would not have been the blockbuster drug they needed Actos to be.”

If you or someone you love has suffered because of the link between Actos and bladder cancer, you may be able to file a lawsuit. Hiring an Actos lawyer can help you pursue litigation the most effectively.