Actos Lawsuit Alleges Bladder Cancer

After allegedly contracting Actos bladder cancer, Alfred Sforzo and his wife Ruth Sforzo on January 4, 2012 filed an Actos lawsuit in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Ohio. The plaintiffs named Eli Lilly and Takeda Pharmaceuticals as defendants in the case, and allege that Mr. Sforzo's bladder cancer is directly linked to the diabetes medication.

Actos Lawsuit Alleges Failure to Warn

The plaintiffs Ruth and Alfred Sforzo ask the court for both compensatory and punitive damages for injuries, specifically Actos bladder cancer, suffered by Mr. Sforzo. According to the lawsuit, Mr. Sforzo allegedly began taking Actos to treat his type II diabetes in 2004. Sforzo was diagnosed with Actos bladder cancer in May 2005. Through their Actos lawyer, the Sforzos allege that the drug's manufacturer, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, committed "failure to warn." In other words, the lawsuit alleges that the drug company did not warn the public or medical professionals, who would in turn inform consumers, of the increased risk of bladder cancer associated with taking Actos for more than 12 months.

Study Reveals Link Between Actos and Bladder Cancer

In 1999, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Actos for use. Actos, which also goes by the generic name pioglitazone, is one of the bestselling prescription drugs in the country; it is estimated that Actos generates an estimated $4.8 billion in annual revenue. However, evidence exists to link the prolonged use of Actos with bladder cancer. In 2011, a study investigated reports to the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System and revealed that there is "a definite signal for bladder cancer associated with (Actos) use" after a period of 6 to 24 months.

FDA Studies Links to Actos Bladder Cancer

In September 2011, the FDA announced plans for a longitudinal exposure study into the link between pioglitazone, or Actos, and increased risks of bladder cancer. Unfortunately, the Sforzos, and other alleged victims of Actos bladder cancer, cannot afford to wait for the FDA's findings.

Woman Files Lawsuit Alleging Actos Killed Her Mother

Inez Mae Buck has filed an Actos Lawsuit on behalf of her decedent mother, following her death from Actos Bladder Cancer. Her Actos Lawsuit was filed in the Superior Court of California, County of San Diego. FDA officials began reviewing the potential risk of Actos bladder cancer problems in September 2010, after interim data from an on-going 10 year study found that users may face an increased risk the longer they take the drug. Both France and Germany have already instituted an Actos recall, and the drug has seen increased label warnings in the U.S. and across the rest of the European Union.

All of the lawsuits over Actos and bladder cancer filed in various courts throughout the United States include similar allegations, that Takeda concealed their knowledge that users may face an increased risk of bladder cancer and failed to provide adequate warnings to consumers or the medical community. Takeda Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of Actos, has indicated it intends to file a motion to transfer all of the California state court lawsuits over Actos to the federal MDL. However, lawyers representing plaintiffs who have brought the cases in California maintain that there is a legitimate basis for keeping the cases in state court, as Takeda operates a facility in San Diego.

All Actos lawsuits filed in California state court by individuals who developed bladder cancer after taking the popular type 2 diabetes drug will be consolidated and coordinated during pretrial proceedings. In June 2011, an Actos recall was issued in France after health authorities ordered doctors to stop prescribing the drug due to the possible risk of bladder cancer. A French study of public insurance data confirmed that there is a slight increase in the risk of bladder cancer with Actos use, adding to the prior concerns about long-term use of the medication. Many have indicated that the FDA should remove Actos from the market in the United States as well, due to the risk of bladder cancer outweighing the potential benefits provided by the medication.

Actos Linked To Deadly Cancer In Lawsuit

The diabetes drug Actos has been linked to a number of serious side effects, one of them being cancer. Cancer is one of the most serious diseases in the United States and could put a patient's health at risk. A lawsuit filed by Nina Kingsdale and her Actos lawyer of New York claims that the drug was responsible for her husband's death in December of 2009. He was prescribed Actos for the treatment of type II diabetes in 2001 and had been taking it for years before his cancer diagnosis.

Actos Bladder Cancer Lawsuits Filed Nationwide

Patients who have used the medication Actos in order to hopefully treat and prevent complications of their diabetes have sometimes fallen victim to a number of side effects associated with the drug, one of the most serious being bladder cancer. A number of plaintiffs such as Shirley DiGiacomo have already filed their Actos lawsuits, trying to gain restitution after discovering they suffer from conditions as severe as certain kinds of cancer. The drug maker, Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, must soon be ready to face a growing number of lawsuits that deal with alleged side effects, a number of them severe.

DiGiacomo's lawyer alleges that his client not only suffers from bladder cancer, but that her bladder cancer is related to the diabetes drug Actos. This case is not unlike a number of Actos bladder cancer lawsuits that have already been filed; most of the claims are criticizing Takeda Pharmaceuticals and alleging that they are guilty of both negligence and breach of warranty when it comes to Actos, a product that some argue is causing more harm than good. The most dire concern is that Takeda failed to effectively warn the public of the potential for possible Actos side effects and as a result, a number of patients were not properly informed of all the potential for risks when they agreed to use the product.

Actos Lawsuits surge in Illinois

More actos lawsuit are being filed by people who claim the type 2 diabetes drug caused them to develop bladder cancer. The most recent actos bladder cancer lawsuit, filed in federal court in Illinois by a Georgia woman, Josephine Stodgill, alleges Takeda Pharmaceuticals failed to warn patients about the bladder cancer risk associated with Actos.The Stodgill lawsuit is just the latest to be filed by a victim of bladder cancer allegedly caused by Actos. So far, at least 54 cases have been filed in federal district courts throughout the U.S. plaintiffs argue that Takeda failed to properly research the medication or warn about the risk.

Recent research has suggested that actos side effects may increase the risk of bladder cancer the longer the medications is taken. Actos is expected to be named in hundreds of lawsuits claiming it caused users to develop bladder cancer.

Actos Risks Post Potential Threats at Same Rate as Avandia

Actos (pioglitazone) was approved by FDA to treat Type 2 Diabetes in July, 1999. It is Takeda Pharmaceuticals’ best-selling drug, with sales of $3.4 billion last year. Sales have increased in recent years since a number of studies have suggested that Actos side effects appeared safer than its competitor, Avandia, which has been linked to an increased risk of heart attacks and deaths. Some experts and even federal regulators have called for an Avandia recall, which would likely lead to even greater use of Actos to treat diabetes, possibly increasing the risk of Actos bladder cancer sufferers. In 2005 results from the PROactive Study (PROspectivePioglitAzone Clinical Trial in Macro Vascular Events) demonstrated a higher percentage of  bladder cancer cases with Actos use than in competitors’ drugs following three years of research leading victims to file an Actos lawsuit. That information was not included when the study’s findings were published.

Bladder Cancer Risks WithActos May Be Found In Other Diabetes Drugs

A class action actos lawsuit has been filed against Takeda Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly on behalf of all users of the diabetes drug Actos, seeking financial compensation and medical monitoring as a result of the drug makers’ failure to adequately warn about the risk of bladder cancer from Actos. But Actos is not the only drug to contain its active chemical, pioglitazone. Avandia and Actos are members of a drug family called the thiazolidinediones, abbreviated TZDs. This is a relatively new class of oral anti-diabetic drugs which was developed during the 1990s. These drugs began their careers showing great promise in the treatment of insulin resistance, and hopes were raised by preliminary research that they might be able to rescue failing beta cells.Unfortunately, over time all three were found to cause life-threatening actos side effects, the risk of which was far greater than the benefit these drugs provided. 

The potential risk of actos bladder cancer problems is now being reviewed by health regulators in the United States and other countries throughout the world.