Surviving family members have joined together to file an Actos bladder cancer lawsuit against Takeda Pharmaceuticals, alleging that the drug caused a Mississippi man’s death.

The family of Paul M. has filed a bladder cancer lawsuit against Takeda Pharmaceuticals and related companies. According to their Actos bladder cancer lawsuit, Paul started taking the drug in 2003. After taking the diabetes drug for years, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer, which took his life in 2014.

This Actos bladder cancer lawsuit alleges that Takeda Pharmaceuticals knew, or reasonably should have known, that Actos could cause bladder cancer and concealed this risk. According to this Actos bladder cancer lawsuit, even the earliest animal trials prior to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval indicated that both male and female rats exposed to the active ingredient in Actos had an increased rate of tumors compared to rats not exposed.

By 2005, the FDA concluded a three-year study of Actos patients. This study was looking into concerns that the drug could cause heart and blood vessel problems. While the study did not find evidence for heart concerns, researchers found evidence that patients taking Actos had a significantly increased risk of developing bladder cancer than their peers.

Further epidemiological and clinical studies continued to add to this evidence until regulatory agencies like the FDA began to take action over Actos bladder cancer concerns.

Bladder cancer concerns from Actos began to mount in 2010. That year, the FDA issued a black box warning, the highest warning the agency can issue for a drug short of banning it outright.

In 2011, regulatory agencies in the United States and abroad began to take action over Actos bladder cancer concerns. During this time, the FDA, as well as its German and French counterparts, either banned or restricted the use of the drug stemming from Actos bladder cancer concerns.

Despite these concerns, this bladder cancer lawsuit contends, Takeda Pharmaceuticals continued to actively promote the drug through aggressive advertising. Takeda allegedly reaped massive benefits, even after various nations began to ban or restrict the drug.

In 2012, Actos was still responsible for more than a quarter of Takeda’s profits at 27 percent of their net income for the year. In 2012, Takeda reported that global sales of Actos brought in $4.8 billion.

The Actos Lawsuit is Case No. 2822, as a part of the larger Actos MDL In Re: Actos Product Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2299, 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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