Actos Bladder Cancer Lawsuits Still Being Filed

Lafayette, LAThe number of Actos bladder cancer lawsuits continues to grow, as patients and their family members file complaints in court alleging they were not adequately warned about the risk of Actos side effects. Studies suggest a link between use of Actos and bladder cancer, while the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has updated the warnings on the drugs' label.

According to some reports, one thousand Actos bladder cancer lawsuits have now been filed in federal court in Louisiana. Some of the lawsuits are wrongful death claims, alleging patients died of bladder cancer after taking Actos. Others are personal injury claims, alleging Takeda Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly (who launched the drug together) did not adequately warn patients or medical professionals about the risks associated with the drug.

Plaintiffs allege Actos, a type 2 diabetes drug, was unreasonably dangerous and defective and further claim that Takeda knew about the risk of bladder cancer in patients who used Actos but failed to warn plaintiffs and the medical community about that risk.

Actos wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits filed in federal districts have been transferred to Actos multi-district litigation (In Re: Actos (pioglitazone) Products Liability Litigation, 6:11-md-2299). Actos is still available for use in the US but has had sales suspended in France and Germany, following a study that linked the use of Actos for more than a year with an increased risk of bladder cancer.

Despite these links, the FDA has approved a generic version of Actos, made by Mylan Pharmaceuticals for the market. The drug will have a boxed warning alerting patients to the risk of heart failure. Furthermore, the label includes information that use of pioglitzaone (the generic of Actos) for more than one year may be linked to an increased risk of bladder cancer. A similar warning appears on the Actos label.

News of the generic version of Actos being approved resulted in Consumer Reports issuing a warning about the medication. In Consumer News (8/21/12), the organization warned, "Pioglitzaone can cause serious side effects, such as an increased risk of heart failure, bone fractures, and bladder cancer. Other medications to treat diabetes, such as metformin, are a better first choice."