Five plaintiffs from five different states have filed a joint Actos bladder cancer lawsuit on behalf of themselves and their loved ones who allegedly developed bladder cancer as a result of their use of the type-2 diabetes medication.

Plaintiff Ron Hendrix, a resident of Georgia, is pursuing litigation against Actos manufacturer Takeda Pharmaceuticals on behalf of himself and his deceased mother Lorraine Hendrix. Mrs. Hendrix took Actos to manage her type-2 diabetes from about 2009 until 2011. The following year, Lorraine Hendrix was diagnosed with bladder cancer. She died in July 2012 from this condition. Her son Ron Hendrix alleges that his mother’s cancer diagnosis and subsequent death were directly caused by her taking Actos.

Similarly, Samuel Moffett joined this Actos bladder cancer lawsuit on behalf of himself and his mother Stella Moffett, both residents of Mississippi. Mrs. Moffett took Actos on a regular basis between 2000 and 2006. In September 2008, Stella Moffett was diagnosed with bladder cancer, allegedly caused by Actos, and she died a few months later.

Norma Aponte of Florida, Garland Taylor of Missouri, and Barney Graham of Oklahoma, have all joined this Actos bladder cancer lawsuit on behalf of themselves. These three individuals all used Actos to treat a diabetic condition and were all allegedly diagnosed with Actos bladder cancer within the last three years.

Together, these five plaintiffs have filed this Actos bladder cancer lawsuit against Takeda with allegations of negligence, strict liability, failure to warn, defective design, breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty, wrongful death, and other claims against the pharmaceutical giant.

The Actos Bladder Cancer Lawsuit is Hendrix, et al. v. Takeda Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., et al., Case No. 6:14-cv-02497-RFD-PJH, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.

The Actos Bladder Cancer MDL is In re: Actos Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 6:11-md-2299, in the U.S. District Court of Western District of Louisiana.

Background on Actos

Actos was created by Takeda Pharmaceuticals as a medical treatment for type-2 diabetes. Since the late 1990s, Takeda Pharmaceuticals has produced and sold Actos throughout North America with the help of Eli Lilly Co.’s international marketing of the diabetes medication. Over the past couple of decades, Takeda has reaped billions of dollars in annual revenue from Actos consumers.

During the recent In re: Actos Products Liability Litigation MDL proceedings, it was discovered that as early as 2001 Takeda and Eli Lilly were both allegedly aware of strong medical evidence connecting regular use of Actos with an increased risk of bladder cancer.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigated consumer claims of bladder cancer and took the Actos bladder cancer research studies into consideration. As a result, in June 2011, the FDA published a consumer notice to warn Actos users of the possibility of bladder cancer from long term use of Actos. The same notice also advised physicians to stop all Actos prescriptions to patients already diagnosed with bladder cancer.

Actos Side Effects

Aside from the increased risk of bladder cancer, many Actos consumers have reported additional side effects from short and long term use of the diabetes medications. The reported Actos side effects include:

• Chronic kidney disease
• Congestive heart failure
• Liver failure
• Lactic acidosis
• Bone fracture
• Rapid and excessive weight gain
• Difficulty breathing
• Edema (or fluid retention)

Many individuals and families of individuals who have suffered from bladder cancer as an alleged result of their use of Actos have filed Actos bladder cancer lawsuits and many have joined Actos bladder cancer class action lawsuits.