Actos Lawsuit Plaintiff Links Diabetes Drug to Bladder Cancer 3 Years After Diagnosis
By Andrea Gressman
Actos diabetes medication has been linked to bladder cancer, but many patients who took the drug for years didn’t discover this link until after they had already been diagnosed with bladder cancer – a known side effect of Actos. In fact, some patients even kept taking Actos while going through cancer treatment, not understanding how Actos contributed to their cancer in the first place. One of the victims of this severe Actos side effect is Joann Fassio, a Connecticut woman.
Fassio Actos Lawsuit Details
In this newest Actos bladder cancer lawsuit, Plaintiff Joann Fassio claims she took Actos for eight years. She developed bladder cancer in 2008, but kept taking Actos to treat her diabetes. Neither she nor her doctor were aware of the link between Actos and bladder cancer until Actos was recalled oversees in 2011 and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a subsequent health warning about this risk.
Fassio filed an Actos bladder cancer lawsuit against Takeda Pharmaceuticals on August 1, 2012. She faults Takeda for failing to appropriately inform patients and doctors about the side effects of Actos, and accuses the company of deliberately hiding Actos side effects from consumers and medical professionals. She is looking for damages to cover medical bills, diminished health, and her ongoing medical treatments.
Her Actos bladder cancer lawsuit will be heard in the U.S. District Court in Connecticut unless it is later transferred to the Actos lawsuit MDL proceedings being held in the Western District of Louisiana.
Actos Lawsuit MDL
The Actos lawsuit MDL was established on December 29, 2011. There were approximately 100 Actos lawsuits that were included in the original MDL. However, due to the popularity of Actos, this number will continue to grow. It has been reported that Actos generates 27% of Takeda’s sales equating to $4.8 billion in sales worldwide.
Actos Lawsuit History and FDA Warning
Actos was approved by the FDA as a medical treatment for Type II diabetes. Actos is manufactured by Takeda Pharmaceuticals, and is a top seller for the company, accounting for more than 25% of the firm’s annual revenue.
In 2011, the FDA put out a new warning statement about Actos that long-time users may increase their risk of developing bladder tumors and bladder cancer. The FDA was in the midst of a long-term study of diabetes sufferers when it found that those who had taken Actos for more than a year were facing dramatically higher rates of bladder cancer. These results from the FDA’s study corroborated results that were being found internationally, where French and German researchers had red-flagged the medication as being a contributor to higher rates of bladder cancer. Regulators in these countries issued an Actos recall shortly after, but so far no U.S. Actos recall has been made.
Patients taking Actos face a 40% increase (and in some studies this figure is even higher) in their likelihood of getting bladder cancer if they take the drug for more than a year.
Following the study advisories and the overseas Actos recall, thousands of diabetes sufferers with bladder cancer were shocked to discover the link between their medication history and their bladder cancer diagnosis. As a result, many filed Actos lawsuits against Takeda Pharmaceuticals and its partner marketers seeking damages. They allege that the company knew – or should have known – of the side effects of Actos, including the increased risk of bladder cancer, but that it failed to inform patients and doctors appropriately of the true risks of the drug.
In addition to Actos bladder cancer and bladder tumors, there have been additional reports of heart failure (cardiomyopathy) as well as other Actos side effects including:
* Shortness of breath
* Irregular heartbeat
* Weakness
* Fatigue
* Coughing
* Loss of appetite
If you or someone you know was negatively affected by one of the many side effects of Actos, including bladder cancer, bladder tumors, heart failure, shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, weakness, fatigue, coughing, and loss of appetite, reach out to an Actos lawsuit attorney now. Make your Actos lawsuit heard and exercise your rights by visiting the Actos Bladder Cancer Class Action Lawsuit Investigation now. Actos bladder cancer attorneys are standing by to provide a free legal review of your claims.
Updated August 12th, 2012
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One thought on Actos Lawsuit Plaintiff Links Diabetes Drug to Bladder Cancer 3 Years After Diagnosis
I took altos for a month before having a very bad reaction. My mouth tongue lips all began to swell. Then went to the hospital in the middle of the night having a hard time breathing. Are there other reports like this. The doctors said I could of died if I haddens woken up.