The diabetes drug Actos has reportdely been linked in several studies with a serious condition—bladder cancer. So far, Takeda has been hit with thousands of Actos lawsuits. Patients allege that the diabetes medication caused them to develop bladder cancer. For some, bladder cancer can be a fatal disease.

According to lawsuits, Takeda knew that their diabetes medication was associated with an increased risk of developing bladder cancer, yet failed to adequately warn patients—along with the medical community and federal regulators—of the risk, ultimately placing patients in serious danger.

If you or someone you love has suffered from bladder cancer after taking Actos, you may be able to file a lawsuit. Hiring an Actos lawyer can help you pursue litigation the most effectively.

Actos and Bladder Cancer

Actos (pioglitazone) is a type-2 diabetes medication manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Takeda, and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1999. However, the FDA released an announcement in 2016 that the drug has been linked with an increased risk of bladder cancer. According to studies, the risk is heightened when patients take higher dosages or take the drug for longer periods of time.

Because of these studies, the FDA announced that Actos “may be associated with an increased risk in urinary bladder cancer, and we have updated the drug labels to include information about these additional studies.”

A massive $2.4 billion Actos settlement was reached in 2015, allowing Takeda to resolve thousands of claims. The lawsuits allege that Takeda knew or should have known about the risk of bladder cancer associated with its medication. The settlement resolves the claims of thousands of lawsuits, including those filed by family members who lost loved ones from bladder cancer after taking this medication, but the settlement agreement does not change Takeda’s position that the drug is not responsible for these injuries.

A new Actos bladder cancer class action lawsuit was filed against Takeda and Eli Lilly (who helped market the drug) in May 2018. This new class action lawsuit alleged that Actos was “inefficacious and dangerous,” and that the pharmaceutical companies kept the risks of the medication secret at the expense of their patients’ safety. According to the lawsuit, the companies “knew that, if the medical community were aware that Actos could cause bladder cancer, it would not have been the blockbuster drug they needed Actos to be.”

Seeking an Actos Lawyer

An Actos lawyer can help patients who took the diabetes medication and did not know about its link to bladder cancer.

If you or someone you love has suffered from bladder cancer after exposure to the Actos type-2 diabetes medication, you may be able to file a lawsuit. While filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by bladder cancer, nor can it bring a loved one back to life, it can help to alleviate the financial burden caused by medical expenses and lost wages. Consulting an Actos lawyer who is specialized in this cases can help make your claims as effective as possible.