Actos Bladder Cancer Review

Actos lawyers are pursuing potential lawsuits over the drug for former users of the diabetes medication who have been diagnosed with Actos bladder cancer. Health regulators in some European countries have suspended sales of the drug and the FDA required new warnings about the potential risk of Actos bladder cancer in June 2011. Recent research has suggested that Actos side effects may increase the risk of bladder cancer the longer the medications is taken. Early data from an on-going 10 year study of Actos side effects conducted by Takeda Pharmaceuticals has suggested that users of the diabetes drug may face an increased risk of cancer when the medication is taken for more than a year.

Actos was approved by the FDA in July 1999 as a treatment for type 2 diabetes. It is part of the same class of drugs as Avandia (rosiglitazone), which has been linked to an increased risk of heart attacks and other health problems. In recent years, use of Actos has increased as some studies have suggested that the diabetes medication may be safer than Avandia. In September 2010, the FDA announced that the potential Actos bladder cancer risk was being reviewed and evaluated. At the time the agency said early data from a 10-year study submitted by Takeda, the maker of Actos, had not indicated a statistically significant association between exposure to the drug and bladder cancer risk. However, there was some evidence that patients taking Actos at least two years or at the highest cumulative doses (>28,000 mg) did face a greater danger from bladder cancer.

Currently there are three different types of Actos bladder cancer that have been identified. The most common type that has been reported is referred to as “transitional cell carcinoma” and begins in the inner lining of cells located within the bladder. Adenocarcinoma, which begins in the cells that make up and release mucus and other fluids, is a rare but potential type of Actos bladder cancer. Four percent of patients diagnosed with Actos bladder cancer have been affected by squamous cell carcinoma, a cancer that starts in thin flat cells.