Bladder Cancer Risks Associated With Actos

On behalf of our clients, Kelley Ferraro, LLC is actively fighting the manufacturers and distributors of the popular type 2 diabetes drug Actos. Actos (pioglitazone) is sold in the United States by Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America Inc. and is used to help control blood sugar in individuals with type 2 diabetes.

In 2011, just days after both France and Germany pulled Actos from the market, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning that people who have taken Actos for longer than one year have up to a 40% greater chance of developing or having a recurrence of bladder cancer than type 2 diabetics who were not prescribed Actos.

In 2012, the British Medical Journal (BMJ) confirmed the dangers of Actos when it published a study which not only concluded that pioglitazone (Actos) is associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer but that the risk of bladder cancer increases for: (1) people who used pioglitazone for more than 24 months or (2) people who received cumulative doses of more than 28,000 mg. of pioglitazone.

Lawsuits filed by Kelley Ferraro, LLC allege, among other things, that Actos was defectively designed and unreasonably dangerous and that the manufacturers and distributors of Actos failed to adequately warn the public of these known dangers.

General facts about pioglitazone

• Sold as a single-ingredient product under the brand name Actos
• Also sold in combination with metformin (Actoplus Met, Actoplus Met XR) and glimepiride (Duetact)
• Marketed to be used along with diet and exercise to improve the control of blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus
• Over 2.3 million patients have filled a prescription for a pioglitazone-containing product from retail pharmacies.

Possible signs and/or symptoms of bladder cancer from Actos may include:

• Blood in your urine
• Feeling the need to urinate but not being able to
• Frequent urination
• Pain during urination

If you would like to receive more information about your legal rights and you have been prescribed Actos, Actoplus Met, Actoplus Met XR or Duetact to treat your type 2 diabetes, please contact Kelley Ferraro at 216.575.0777 or send us an email.