A New York resident has filed an Actos lawsuit against Takeda Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly and Company for failing to adequately warn consumers and the medical community about the risk of developing bladder cancer.

Plaintiff Edward A. claims in the Actos lawsuit he developed bladder cancer in early 2014 resulting from taking Actos for six years to treat his type-2 diabetes.

He alleges that the pharmaceutical companies willfully concealed that Actos side effects included an increased risk of bladder cancer in order to prevent the delay or rejection of the drug’s registration by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and further withheld animal studies and human clinical trials data linking Actos to bladder cancer.

Although the defendants knew, or should have known, that Actos was associated with bladder cancer, the Actos lawsuit alleges that Takeda Pharmaceuticals continued to promote the drug as a safe and effective treatment for type-2 diabetes.

Actos Bladder Cancer Warning

On June 15, 2011, the FDA released a safety announcement concerning Actos and bladder cancer. The agency released the Actos bladder cancer warning following a review of data from a five-year analysis of an ongoing study of the drug by Takeda Pharmaceuticals. While there was no overall increased risk of Actos bladder cancer among users, patients with the longest exposure to Actos had a greater chance of developing bladder cancer, according to the results.

Specifically, the study revealed that patients taking the drug for more than a year had a 40 percent higher risk of developing Actos bladder cancer. The FDA also advised users to be on alert for signs which may possibly indicate Actos bladder cancer, such as:

• Blood in urine
• Back or lower abdominal pain
• Urgent need to urinate
• Pain during urination

Due to the possible Actos bladder cancer link, the agency also announced that the risk will be reflected in the drug’s label and patient medication guide.

Actos Bladder Cancer Lawsuits

Several Actos bladder cancer lawsuits have gone to trial, arguing that while Takeda’s internal Actos studies uncovered links to bladder cancer as early as 2004, the company didn’t alert U.S. regulators until seven years later.

Edward A. is seeking special and general relief as well as actual and punitive damages for Takeda Pharmaceutical’s alleged disregard for public welfare in putting sales over safety by failing to warn consumers about the risk of bladder cancer associated with Actos.

The Actos Bladder Cancer Lawsuit is Case No. 6:14-cv-03540-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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