Four Actos Bladder Cancer Victims Sue Takeda Pharmaceuticals

— Florida plaintiff Paulette F. Jenkins is suing Takeda Pharmaceuticals for the wrongful death of her husband, Donald Jenkins. The plaintiff’s husband took Actos from 2005-2011 to treat his type-2 diabetes, but died from bladder cancer on September 22, 2011. Plaintiff alleges that Actos was the direct cause of her husband’s death.

— Florida plaintiffs Sharon and Kathie Saari are suing Takeda Pharmaceuticals for the wrongful death of Bruna Malara. Malara took Actos between 2000 and 2005 and died from bladder cancer on October 14, 2011. Plaintiffs allege that Malara died as a direct result of taking Actos.

The other plaintiffs involved in this Actos bladder cancer lawsuit are representing themselves, and alleging that Actos directly caused them to contract bladder cancer:
— Florida plaintiff William Franklin is suing Takeda Pharmaceuticals for his development of bladder cancer after taking Actos. He had been taking Actos from 2003 to 2011 to treat his type-2 diabetes.

— Georgia plaintiff Bobby Robinson is suing Takeda Pharmaceuticals for his development bladder cancer after taking Actos. He was prescribed Actos from 2003 to 2011 to treat his type-2 diabetes.

Each of these plaintiffs was prescribed Actos to treat their type-2 diabetes by their physicians, despite the significant risk of bladder cancer. At no point in time were any of their physicians aware of this possibility, nor was it labeled anywhere on the bottle, the plaintiffs allege. Additionally, Takeda made no effort to contact the plaintiffs to warn them of this possibility.

The plaintiffs are suing Takeda for being directly responsible for manufacturing, distributing, selling, and marketing a dangerous product. Additional charges include negligence, concealing information, misrepresenting a product, and false advertising.

Overview of Actos Complications

Actos was first released in the United States in 1999 by Takeda Pharmaceuticals; it was approved by the FDA to treat type-2 diabetes. Actos is a part of drug class of insulin-sensitizing diabetes agents called thiazolidinediones (TZDs). Due to its mechanical and biological mechanism, Actos can only be used to treat type-2 diabetes because it only works in the presence of endogenous insulin, a type-2 diabetes-only substance. It is currently one of the best-selling drugs for Takeda Pharmaceuticals with global sales over $4.8 billion, and is accounted for 27% of Takeda’s total revenue.

However, in 2008, injury reports were submitted to the FDA reporting that patients had been diagnosed with bladder cancer after taking Actos. After several investigations, the FDA found that patients who take Actos for more than twelve months are at significant risk of developing bladder cancer and similar complications. Allegedly, Takeda knew of these potential Actos side effects for over 10 years but failed to disclose this information to the public.

On June 15, 2011, the FDA sent out a public warning regarding Actos side effects, stating that using the drug for over a year may cause bladder cancer in patients. Due the legal and international pressure, Takeda updated the warning label on Actos to include information regarding the risk of bladder cancer. However, this warning came too little too late for many people.

Many of these Actos cancer victims are suing Takeda for failure to warn and negligence. These cases have been transferred to multidistrict litigation known as In Re: Actos (Pioglitazone) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 6:11-md-2299, in the United States District Court of Western Louisiana. 

File an Actos Lawsuit Today

If you believe that you or a loved one has been the victim of an Actos bladder cancer development, you have legal options. Please visit the Actos Bladder Cancer Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. There, you can submit your claim for a free legal review and if it qualifies for legal action, a seasoned Actos lawyer will contact you for a free, no-obligation consultation. You will be guided through the litigation process at no out-of-pocket expenses or hidden fees. The bladder cancer attorneys working this investigation do not get paid until you do.