Following an FDA alert in August 2011 warning that diabetes drug Actos may cause bladder cancer, multiple suits are being filed against the manufacturer.
The Plaintiffs allege drug maker Takada Pharmaceuticals America, Inc., in partnership with Eli Lilly & Co. marketed Actos – generic name pioglitazone – as a medication that can improve blood-sugar levels in adults with Type 2 diabetes. They did not reveal that studies had shown a significant risk of developing bladder cancer among those who used the drug.
The Plaintiffs lawyers alleged that Takeda was notified of the risk in 2001 by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) after a European drug maker withdrew its application for approval of a similar drug when it discovered the danger during clinical studies.
Actos was launched in 1999 and marked as an alternative to Rezulin and Avandia, which were recalled after they were linked to liver and heart damage respectively. In 2010, a study conducted in France found that the risk of developing bladder cancer was double in patients who were over 40 and who used Actos for over a year. France and Germany removed the drug from the market based on the findings and the EMA launched an investigation. Despite investigations in France in Germany last year, the only action Takeda took before the FDA notice was to include a paragraph about bladder cancer in a 23-page proposed label change, after the FDA insisted that the drugs risk of congestive heart failure be featured in a black-box warning.
Over 100 cases have been filed against Takeda and Lilly, which hundreds more expected.
If you or a loved one has suffered side effects from using diabetes drug Actos, you may be entitled to compensation. Please contact Liam Moloney, Solicitor today on 045 898000 or dimply log on to our website www.moloneysolicitors.ie for further information concerning your rights.
