Actos Bladder Cancer Lawsuits Follow Warnings

Trenton, NJWith reports of Actos bladder cancer risks and multiple countries suspending the use of or recalling the diabetes medication, a number of lawsuits have already been filed against its manufacturer, according to The Associated Press.

The news source reports that the drug is experiencing substantially diminishing sales numbers as Japanese drugmaker Takeda Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. stopped selling the medication in Germany and France in June.

Since the drug was suspended in Germany and France—and subsequently recalled in France—the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency have reportedly issued warnings about research indicating an increased risk of bladder cancer for patients taking Actos, but drug sales have been allowed to continue.

According to the news source, doctors are being advised not to prescribe Actos—a treatment for type 2 diabetes—to patients who currently or have previously suffered from bladder cancer.

Actos became the top-selling diabetes medication in the world when Avandia, another similar drug, was tied to an increased risk of heart attacks in 2007. When Avandia was subsequently banned in Europe and restricted in the US, sales of Actos increased from approximately $2.9 billion in 2006 to $4.3 billion in 2010, according to the news source.

Recently, the lawsuits against Takeda alleging Actos caused bladder cancer have begun to be filed, with 54-year-old Pennsylvania resident Nancy Rios claiming her recurrent bladder cancer was a result of taking the medication for more than 10 years, the news source reported.

In the lawsuit, Rios claims she was diagnosed with the cancer in 2009 and that she has had multiple surgeries to remove tumors. Rios is reportedly concerned that she could ultimately lose her bladder and need chemotherapy to treat the condition.

Hundreds of Actos lawsuits are reportedly already in the works, with more and more reportedly coming in each week, according to a law firm representing some of the patients.

"We don't think it's a coincidence that we've been contacted by so many people who have been taking Actos and have bladder cancer," an Actos attorney representing plaintiffs told the news source. "We have more than 100 (cases) that we've confirmed and many more that we're evaluating."

According to Bloomberg, the problems linked to Actos don't stop with bladder cancer, as the diabetes drug has also been associated with an eye disease that can ultimately cause blindness.

The news source reported that patients taking either Actos or GlaxoSmithKline's Avandia were three to six times more likely to develop diabetic macular edema, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association, which examined more than 100,000 patients.