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New Actos Lawsuit Filed by North Carolina Man
By Andrea Gressman
A new Actos product liability lawsuit was filed by a North Carolina resident on December 28, 2012. The plaintiff, Dickie Steve Woody, alleges he developed bladder cancer after taking Actos, the diabetes medication. The Actos lawsuit was filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois.
Mr. Woody claims in his lawsuit that Takeda Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of Actos, did not provide all of the necessary information regarding the high side effect risk of developing bladder cancer. Woody is seeking compensation, both personal and punitive, for the injuries he suffered as a result of Takeda’s alleged negligence, failure to warn and strict liability.
The Actos lawsuit goes on to claim that the manufacturer formulated, created, developed, designed, manufactured, distributed, promoted, marketed, and sold the medication without conducting the proper pre- and post-market testing of the drug.
Plaintiff Continued Taking Actos after Cancer Diagnosis, Unaware of the Link
Sadly, it has been claimed in the Actos bladder cancer lawsuit that Mr. Woody took the medication for over four years after his initial bladder cancer diagnosis. Mr. Woody reports that he began taking Actos in May of 2003. He took the drug for nearly five years before he was diagnosed with bladder cancer in March of 2008. Not knowing that the medication had caused his condition, Mr. Woody continued to take Actos for four-and-a-half years beyond his bladder cancer diagnosis. According to the Actos lawsuit the plaintiff did not stop taking Actos until November of 2012.
The Actos lawsuit goes on to claim that Mr. Woody has now suffered severe and permanent injuries because of his long-term use of Actos. It goes on to claim that the plaintiff also experienced mental and emotional distress in addition to suffering economic harm from medical expenses.
Takeda Fails to Warn Public of Actos Bladder Cancer Link
Actos was created and approved as a treatment option for those who have Type 2 diabetes. The drug has been classified as an insulin-sensitizing thiazolidinedione. Actos received its approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in July of 1999. However, when it was approved there was no warning provided by the drug manufacturer of the link between Actos and the potential side effect of contracting bladder cancer.
On June 15, 2011, the FDA finally notified the public of this potential risk by issuing the following statement: “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is informing the public that use of the diabetes medication Actos (pioglitazone) for more than one year may be associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer. Information about this risk will be added to the Warnings and Precautions section of the label for pioglitazone-containing medicines. The patient Medication Guide for these medicines will also be revised to include information on the risk of bladder cancer.”
The study the FDA used as basis for this safety warning indicated that if Actos was taken for more than a year the patient had a 40% chance of developing bladder cancer as a side effect.
If you were one of the 40% to develop bladder cancer after taking Actos visit our Actos Bladder Cancer Class Action Lawsuit Investigation page right away. You can learn about your legal options and receive a free case review from a qualified Actos lawsuit attorney. You may qualify to seek compensation for your pain, suffering and medical expenses through an Actos injury settlement.
Updated January 22nd, 2013
All medical device, dangerous drug and medical class action and lawsuit news updates are listed in the Drug and Medical Device section of Top Class Actions.
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