New Actos Side Effects Lawsuit Filed by Bladder Cancer Victim

Over the course of roughly three years, a North Carolina man says he took Actos, a type-2 diabetes medication manufactured by Takeda Pharmaceuticals, that allegedly caused him to develop bladder cancer.

Leonard Baker was first prescribed the drug in 2006, and was diagnosed with cancer roughly a year after he stopped treatment in 2009. According to his Actos side effects lawsuit, he will require “continual follow-up care” to ensure that the cancer does not spread and that it remains contained.

Since there are other drugs that can be used to treat type-2 diabetes that do not carry the same side effects, Baker alleges that he would have opted for “safer, alternative medicines… without an increased risk of serious, deadly adverse events.” In addition, the complaint alleges that the Japanese drug maker knew of the risks prior to the products launch in 2000 and Baker’s diagnosis.

Pre-approval studies indicated that mammalian trials demonstrated a higher likelihood of “drug-induced” tumors that signal the potential for Actos bladder cancer side effects. In 2005, prior to Baker’s first prescription, the PROactive study also indicated a “demonstrated higher percentage” of adverse events compared to other medications. Unfortunately,  Takeda minimized the promulgation of these studies, according to the complaint. Similar lawsuits that have gone to trial have included testimony that at least some officials in the company were aware of these studies and worried about the consequences of publicizing them.

The Actos bladder cancer side effects lawsuit is Leonard S. Baker v. Takeda Pharmaceuticals America, Inc. et al., Case No. 13-cv-02755, U.S. District Court, Western District of Louisiana.