A Missouri resident and 12 other named individuals have filed a bundled complaint against Takeda Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly and Company alleging they failed to adequately warn about life-threatening side effects associated with taking the type-2 diabetes drug, Actos, specifically the possibility of developing Actos bladder cancer.

Lead Plaintiff Brenda A. claims in the Takeda lawsuit that she and the other named plaintiffs developed Actos bladder cancer resulting from taking the prescription drug Actos to treat their type-2 diabetes.

Brenda and the additional plaintiffs further allege that the pharmaceutical companies willfully concealed their knowledge of Actos’ unreasonably dangerous risks in order to prevent any chances that Actos’ registrations would be delayed or rejected by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Actos Bladder Cancer Risk

Actos is a prescription medication manufactured and sold by Takeda Pharmaceuticals for treatment of type-2 diabetes. On June 15, 2011, the FDA issued an Actos Bladder Cancer Warning with regards to an increased bladder cancer risk associated with the use of the Actos.

This warning comes after a review of data from a five-year interim analysis of an ongoing study of Actos by Takeda.

The results showed that although there was no increased risk of bladder cancer among Actos users overall, there was an increased risk of bladder cancer among those who had used the drug the longest. There was also a greater risk of bladder cancer among Actos users who had been exposed to the highest cumulative dose of the drug.

Prior to the FDA warning, several European markets, including France and Germany, suspended the use of Actos, citing concerns over an increased risk of patients developing bladder cancer.

Actos grew in popularity after use of Avandia, GlaxoSmithKline’s controversial drug, was severely restricted in the United States because of concerns of an increased risk of heart attack and heart failure last fall. Takeda had profits from U.S. sales of Actos of over $3 billion in 2009 and just under $3 billion in 2010.

Although it appears that information about the risk of Actos complications may have been known to the manufacturer for some time, inadequate warnings were allegedly provided to consumers and the medical community.

Actos Bladder Cancer Lawsuits

Several Actos bladder cancer lawsuits against Takeda have gone to trial. The plaintiffs in these Actos lawsuits argued that prior to the drug’s introduction to the market in 1999, Takeda possessed studies on laboratory animals showing an increased risk of bladder cancer when the animals were provided the drug and allegedly failed to disclose these laboratory test results to health regulators.

According to the Actos lawsuit, the plaintiffs are seeking compensatory and special damages as well as attorney’s fees and expenses for Takeda Pharmaceuticals’ alleged violation of consumer protection laws by putting profits over public safety when they failed to warn consumers about the risk of bladder cancer associated with Actos. A jury trial has been demanded for this case.

The Actos Bladder Cancer Lawsuit is Case No. 6:15-cv-00135-RFD-PJH, and the Actos MDL is In re: Actos Product Liability Litigation, Case No. 6:11-md-02299, both in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.

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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