Another Actos Bladder Cancer Victim Sues Takeda

By Sarah Mirando | August 20, 2012

Category: Pharmaceuticals

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Another Actos Bladder Cancer Victim Sues Takeda

By Sarah Pierce

A new lawsuit has been filed against Takeda Pharmaceuticals alleging its diabetes drug Actos caused a woman to develop bladder cancer less than a year after she began taking it. It is the latest in a string of Actos bladder cancer lawsuits filed against the drug maker in 2012.

Pennsylvania resident Mona Marie Rolls alleges in the Actos bladder cancer lawsuit, filed on July 27, 2012 in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, that she started taking Actos in July 2008 to treat her Type II diabetes. At the time she was prescribed Actos, there were no warnings on the drug’s label detailing the risk of bladder cancer. According to her Actos attorney, Rolls was diagnosed with bladder cancer 10 months later in May 2009 but continued taking the medication until March 2010 because she was unaware of the connection between Actos and her cancer. Her lawsuit claims Rolls and her doctor were unaware of this risk, and never would have chosen Actos to treat her diabetes if they had known.

Takeda Knew of Actos Bladder Cancer Risk, Lawsuit Claims

One of the key claims in Rolls’ lawsuit and many other Actos lawsuits is that Takeda was aware of the cancer risks from the drug, yet failed to warn physicians or patients. The lawsuits point to a two-year animal study performed prior to the FDA’s approval of Actos (pioglitazone) in 1999 that indicated drug-induced tumor in test rats. Bladder tumors are one of the side effects of Actos reported by users today. Then, in 2005, a three-year Actos study looking at cardiovascular events and outcomes of Actos was published. The results of the PROactive clinical trial found a higher percentage of bladder cancer cases in patients receiving Actos versus competing diabetes drugs.

All of these studies linking Actos to bladder cancer were published before Rolls was prescribed the medication, yet Takeda did nothing to warn her or the public about these risks. It wasn’t until June 14, 2011 that Takeda finally updated the warning label of Actos to include the risk of bladder cancer after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required it to.

As a result of Takeda’s failure to warn, Rolls has been permanently and severely injured, and will require ongoing medical care and treatment, her Actos injury lawyer says. She is seeking damages for her injuries for counts of strict liability and negligence against the Defendants.

Actos Attorneys Expect 10,000 Lawsuits to Be Filed

Rolls joins hundreds of Actos bladder cancer victims who have already filed lawsuits against Takeda, but Actos attorneys expect this number to grow to as many as 10,000 Actos lawsuits as more victims learn of the connection between Actos and their cancer diagnosis. In order to address all these lawsuits, a multidistrict litigation (MDL) was created just before the start of 2012 to quickly and efficiently resolve these cases.

Each of the lawsuits in the Actos lawsuit MDL — known as In re: Actos (Pioglitazone) Products Liability Litigation (MDL No. 2299) — alleges Actos increases the risk of bladder cancer and that the Defendants concealed their knowledge of this risk and failed to provide adequate warnings to consumers and the health care community. The first bellwether trials in the Actos MDL are scheduled for November 2014 and January 2015, which will show Actos attorneys how future cases will proceed. Victims of Actos bladder cancer are urged to speak with an Actos injury lawyer right away to see if they can join the Actos lawsuit MDL. If the bellwether trials conclude favorably for the Plaintiffs, then Actos injury settlements will quickly follow.

If you would like to pursue compensation for your Actos injuries, submit your information for a free, no-obligation consultation from an experienced Actos injury law firm. Visit the Actos Bladder Cancer Class Action Lawsuit Investigation to receive information about your legal options. Actos attorneys are waiting to hear from you, and will advise you on your best course of action for seeking compensation for your Actos side effects.

Updated August 20th, 2012

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