[gdlr_box_icon icon=”icon-legal” icon_type=”circle” icon_color=”#ffffff” icon_background=”#b7b173″ icon_position=”left” title=”ATTENTION:” ]The Ruth Law Team is currently representing a number of clients for claims against the manufacturer of Actos. and we are accepting new cases.[/gdlr_box_icon]
STATUS UPDATE: April 8, 2014 – From Reuters News Service — US Jury Awards Claimant $9 Billion in Punitive Damages and $1.475 in Compensatory Damages. For more information about this case and its potential impact on future claims, please see our article: (link to blog to be inserted here)
Actos Diabetes Drug (pioglitazone) Linked To Bladder Cancer
Actos, also known as pioglitazone, is a drug manufactured by Takeda Pharmaceutical and is prescribed to patients who suffer from Type II diabetes. Actos is intended to help the body moderate insulin absorption as well as moderate glucose levels. In essence, it is designed to help patients better utilize their own insulin. Actos has often been prescribed to diabetes patients because it was believed to be a safer alternative to the diabetes drug Avandia. Unfortunately, studies are showing that Actos causes a number of devastating side effects, including bladder cancer.
A recent study In Northern California found that patients who took Actos were at a 40% higher risk for developing bladder cancer than those patients who did not take Actos. Furthermore, data linking pioglitazone to bladder cancer has been observed in animal studies dating back to 1999.
Bladder cancer is often characterized by blood in the urine, painful urination, frequent small amounts of urination, frequent urinary tract infections, lower back pain, and abdominal pain. Bladder cancer is diagnosed in one of the following five main stages:
Stage 0: when the cancer is in the center of the bladder, but has not yet spread to the connective tissue or the muscle wall
Stage 1: when the cancer has reached the connective tissue, but has not penetrated the muscle of the bladder wall
Stage 2: when the cancer has grown into the muscle layer of the bladder wall and the fatty tissue around the bladder
Stage 3: when abnormal cells have completely penetrated the fatty tissue of the bladder and possibly the surrounding organs, but has not yet made contact with the lymph nodes or areas that are farther away
Stage 4: when the cancer has either gone through the pelvic or abdominal wall and spread to the lymph nodes or reached a distant site such as the bones, liver, or lungs.
Treatment methods for bladder cancer depend on the stage of the cancer and include such methods as surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and other approaches.
The FDA continues to release new information on this drug. In 2007, the FDA ruled that Takeda Pharmaceuticals had to upgrade the warning on Actos to the strongest level regarding possible congestive heart failure as a complication associated with taking Actos.
If you have taken Actos and are now suffering from Actos side effects, including bladder cancer, you may be entitled to compensation. It is very important that you find experienced legal counsel to help you through this difficult time.