An Actos cancer lawsuit was filed by a woman who claims that the type-2 diabetes drug Actos caused her to develop bladder cancer.

Plaintiff Margaret G. of Arkansas filed her Actos lawsuit in federal court on Dec. 10, 2018.

The Actos cancer lawsuit named Takeda Pharmaceuticals America Inc. and Eli Lilly and Co. as well as related subsidiaries of both corporations as defendants. The drug Actos—used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus—was a joint venture of both pharmaceutical giants in 1999.

According to the Actos cancer lawsuit, Actos is in a drug class known as thiazolidinediones or (TZD’s). This drug, as presented in the Actos lawsuit, increases the risk of a patient developing bladder cancer after use of just one year or more.

The risk was purportedly discovered in other safety studies designed to assess whether Actos presented challenges to the function of the cardiovascular system or liver over time. Both studies allegedly demonstrated an increased risk of Actos bladder cancer, but information regarding this side effect was allegedly suppressed.

Actos Cancer Lawsuit & Alternate Safety Studies

In 2005, a study referred to as PROactive was published. This safety endeavor was a three-year look into possible heart-related symptoms and events related to treatment with Actos—known generically as pioglitazone.

This was referred to as the Dormandy paper. In this research, increased risk for bladder cancer development was allegedly discovered but not published in the final results.

Although limited information was given about it in the Actos cancer lawsuit, a three-year liver safety test was also performed concerning Actos.

This testing revealed higher than the normal statistical presentation of bladder cancer among enrollees taking Actos, according to the Food and Drug Administration. This was compared to enrollees taking alternative medications where the researchers were blind as to what drug was being offered to what patient.

The information from this liver safety test prompted an announcement from the FDA in which it stated their intention of following up with a 10-year epidemiological investigation with midway tabulation of results at the five-year mark.

The review at five years revealed what had previously been suspected, according to the FDA. There is an increased risk of bladder cancer with the use of Actos and that risk is more pronounced the longer a patient remains on the drug. The greatest peak of risk starts after about two years of treatment.

Bladder Cancer Diagnosis

Margaret says she was prescribed Actos in 2006 and remained on the drug for 10 years. She was diagnosed with bladder cancer in early January 2016.

She says she suffers both physically as well as mentally and has been saddled with excruciatingly high medical bills. She is seeking compensatory damages from the defendants including all costs of litigation in the form of attorney and court fees.

The Takeda Lawsuit is Case No. 1:18-cv-08107 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois