A new Actos cancer lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York on Aug. 28, 2018. The plaintiffs, Charles and Carolyn S., are a married couple that are citizens and residents of the New York. They are bringing their Actos cancer lawsuit against Takeda Pharmaceuticals America Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company as well as related entities of both corporations.

This Actos cancer lawsuit concerns alleged injuries that Charles sustained while taking pioglitazone, marketed under the name Actos. This drug is prescribed for sufferers of type-2 diabetes (adult onset) and was used by Charles to bring blood sugar levels under control. Charles’ personal physician allegedly suggested and prescribed Actos for him in 2002.

Nearly 13 years later, according to the narrative of the Actos cancer lawsuit, Charles says he was diagnosed bladder cancer. This diagnosis he directly links to the use of Actos and claims his condition is consequence of using the medication. The Actos cancer lawsuit alleges that the defendants present the diabetes drug is safe, however.

Charles and his spouse believe that had he or his doctor been given the true facts regarding the medication from the beginning, he would have made a different choice of treatment.

In the Actos cancer lawsuit, Charles says he suffered tremendous physical and mental pain because of his bladder cancer. Additionally, he has lost a good deal of economic security because of past and current medical bills. These treatments and associated physician care have been expensive, allege Charles and his wife, and there is no end to these costs anticipated. Even if he is able to attain remission of his bladder cancer, he says that permanent injuries have been sustained by him and his wife.

The History and Profitability of Actos

Pioglitazone, or Actos, was approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1999. According to several Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) legal actions taken against the manufacturer Takeda, the pharmaceutical company carefully hid data from animal testing that clearly pointed to bladder cancer risks with long-term ingestion.

Once Actos was introduced commercially, the medication did very well and attained what is known as “blockbuster” status. As measured in 2010, it contributed just about one-third of Takeda’s income. It purportedly lowers insulin resistance in type-2 diabetics.

Despite how well it performed in the marketplace, Takeda had been required to pay for a 5-year and 10-year post-approval clinical trial as a condition of Actos approval. When five years had passed, collected data pointed to an increase in bladder cancer risk. As a result the FDA issued a warning. This warning was released in 2011, and a new label was requested of the company.

When the 10-year clinical trial data was released in 2016, the FDA went on the record that long-term use of the medication increased the probability that a patient will develop bladder cancer. By this time, 9,000 lawsuits were pending in U.S. District Court.

If you or a loved one took Actos and later developed bladder cancer or other bladder injury, you may have a legal claim.