In a new Actos and bladder cancer lawsuit against Takeda Pharmaceuticals, a New York man alleges his Actos use led to his cancer diagnosis.

The plaintiff, John B., says he began taking Actos at the direction of his doctor in order to treat his type-2 diabetes in 2005 and continued taking the drug consistently through 2015. Unfortunately, John claims, he was diagnosed with bladder cancer in July 2016, which he alleges is a direct result of his exposure to Actos.

According to the Actos and bladder cancer lawsuit, Takeda Pharmaceuticals knew about the risk of bladder cancer associated with its type-2 diabetes drug, Actos, yet failed to warn the public and the medical community about this risk. As a result, John says neither he nor his prescribing physicians were aware of this risk of taking Actos—and had they known, they allegedly would have chosen a safer alternative for John.

John filed his Actos and bladder cancer lawsuit on Dec. 5, 2018, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. The lawsuit was filed on multiple counts, including negligence, defective design, manufacturing defect, failure to warn, and breach of express and implied warranties, among several others.

Many more patients may still be at risk, given the popularity and widespread use of Actos. Indeed, according to John’s Actos and bladder cancer lawsuit, Actos has made up more than a quarter of Takeda’s revenue and was the tenth best-selling medication in the U.S. in 2008.

Actos and Bladder Cancer

Actos (also known by its generic name, pioglitazone) is a type-2 diabetes drug manufactured by Takeda Pharmaceuticals. It was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) back in 1999.

Unfortunately, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned about a link between Actos and bladder cancer. Indeed, a recent study found that those who were exposed to Actos at higher dosages and for longer periods of time faced a higher risk of developing bladder cancer.

“Overall, we conclude that pioglitazone 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,” stated the federal agency.

Filing an Actos and Bladder Cancer Lawsuit

John’s is far from the first Actos and bladder cancer lawsuit to be filed against Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Over the last several years, Takeda has been named in thousands of lawsuits alleging the type-2 diabetes drug caused them to develop bladder cancer. Many of these claims were brought to an end in 2015 when Takeda agreed to a $2.5 billion Actos settlement.

If you or a loved one has suffered from bladder cancer after use of Actos, you may be able to file an Actos and bladder cancer lawsuit. Of course, filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering experienced by cancer patients, nor can it bring a loved one back to life, but it can at least help to alleviate the financial burden incurred by medical expenses, lost wages, and more.

The Actos and Bladder Cancer Lawsuit is Case No. 2:18-cv-06924, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.