Over 1,300 Actos Lawsuits Filed Over Cancer, Other Damage

Actos (pioglitazone) is a prescription drug used to improve glucose control in adults over the age of 18 with Type-2 diabetes. Actos was the tenth bestselling drug in the U.S. in 2008, with sales exceeding $2.4 billion. However, Actos has been found to be associated with bladder tumors, bladder cancer and cardiac complications, causing it to be withdrawn in some countries.

When Actos was first introduced to the market, a different Type-2 diabetes drug, Avandia, had been linked to multiple cases of heart attacks and stroke in its patients. At the time, Avandia was the most-prescribed drug in the world for Type-2 diabetes, so when Actos was released to the market without any known side effects, it rose in popularity dramatically.

However, as more studies were conducted, more evidence was finding that Actos was causing life-threatening side effects; lawsuits started being filed against Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Currently, more than 1,300 Actos lawsuits are pending in U.S. federal court, with thousands of additional cases being filed in state courts. The plaintiffs said Takeda had a vested interest in keeping Actos side effects secret.

Many said they never would have taken the drug if they had been informed about Actos being linked to bladder cancer. The number of lawsuits over Actos bladder cancer continues to rise because of widespread exposure to Actos; some legal experts speculate that the number of lawsuits could climb as high as 10,000.

Takeda Pharmaceuticals is the largest pharmaceutical company in Japan. Actos was marketed in America by their partner company, Eli Lilly & Co., releasing the drug to market 1999 to 2006. Because of Eli Lilly’s involvement, Actos lawsuits have been filed against both companies for injuries related to the prescription drug. These drug injury lawsuits allege that both companies failed to adequately warn the public about the dangers of their product. Actos has been linked to heart attacks, congestive heart failure, liver damage, blindness, bone fractures, kidney damage, and bladder cancer.

Each Actos lawsuit is a harrowing tale of pain and sorrow caused by this drug. To name an example: a warehouse worker from New York is facing multiple surgeries after being diagnosed with bladder cancer. He took Actos for more than five years before he was diagnosed.

“If somebody had told me I could get cancer from Actos, I never would have taken it,” the man told Bloomberg News. “There were other products out there that could have helped treat my diabetes without putting me through all of this.”

Mounting legal actions and allegations against Takeda have been filed, and the number continues to climb to this day. The number has become so substantial that many of the cases were consolidated into a multidistrict litigation. Since August 2011, Actos bladder cancer lawsuits have been filed in U.S. District Courts in Louisiana, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, California and other states.

If you believe that you or a loved one have been harmed by Actos, please visit the Actos Bladder Cancer Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. There, you may submit your claim for a free legal review and if you qualify for legal action, you will be guided through the litigation process at no out-of-pocket charges or hidden fees. The Actos attorneys working this investigation do not get paid until you do.