Actos Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed by Wife of Actos Bladder Cancer Victim
By Andrea Gressman
On September 28, 2012 an Actos lawsuit was filed by North Carolina resident, Norma Faique, on behalf of her husband who passed away of bladder cancer after taking the prescription drug, Actos. According to the Actos lawsuit, the widow’s husband took the diabetes medication for three years. The Actos lawsuit has named Takeda Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of Actos, as the defendant.
Actos was approved by the FDA to treat diabetes. However, since it has been released onto the market it has been linked to a number of very serious side effects, including bladder cancer. The Actos lawsuit was filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois. This Actos lawsuit also joined the Actos mass tort. The Actos mass tort was created to help consolidate the Actos lawsuit litigation process at the state level.
There have been a number of Actos lawsuit plaintiffs who have joined the Illinois mass tort. They are seeking compensation for either their injuries or the injuries of their family members. They also seek compensation for their medical expenses that were a direct result of using Actos. The Actos lawsuit plaintiffs feel that Takeda is liable for not properly informing the patients, as well as their doctors, of the potentially deadly side effect of Actos bladder cancer.
Actos Lawsuit Plaintiff Charges Takeda with 18 Different Counts of Negligence
The latest Actos bladder cancer lawsuit filed by plaintiff, Norma Faique, on behalf of her husband, John Faique, claims that Mr. Faique began using Actos to treat his Type II diabetes in 2007. He was then diagnosed with bladder cancer in October of 2010. Sadly, he died on November 10, 2010 — just a month after is Actos bladder cancer diagnosis.
Mrs. Faique claims that her husband’s development of bladder cancer was the direct result of using Actos and Takeda did not properly warn their patients regarding such side effect risks. If the drug manufacturer would have properly warned their patients, Mrs. Faique claims that her husband would have chosen to not take Actos and then would have not developed the bladder cancer that subsequently took his life. She has charged Takeda with 18 different counts of negligence including wrongful death and strict liability.
The FDA Warning Issued Regarding the Use of Actos
On June 15, 2011, just seven months after the death of this Actos lawsuit plaintiff’s husband passed away, the FDA issued an Actos warning regarding the bladder cancer Actos has been associated with causing. The FDA warning stated that using the diabetes medication Actos (pioglitazone) for more than one year may be associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer. This warning was a result of an FDA evaluation of interim data collected at the 5-year mark of a 10-year cohort study. The study evaluated 193,099 diabetes patients.
Actos Recall Issued in France and Germany but Not the United States
Although Actos has been recalled in both France and Germany it has not been recalled in the United States. Instead, Actos is the top money maker for Takeda. It has been reported that Actos has earned $4.8 billion in sales worldwide for Takeda in the 2011 fiscal year. That accounts for 27% of all Takeda’s revenue in 2011.
If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with Actos bladder cancer, or even bladder tumors, and took Actos you need to know your legal options. Visit the Actos Bladder Cancer Class Action Lawsuit Investigation page to discuss your situation with a qualified Actos lawsuit attorney.
Updated November 12th, 2012
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