Topics and Cases - ACTOS
Pioglitazone is a prescription drug sold as “Actos” in the United States. Actos is used for the treatment of diabetes mellitus Type 2 and can also be used for diet or exercise programs. It is not used to treat Type 1 diabetes. Actos is in a class of medications called thiazolidinediones. It works by increasing the body's sensitivity to insulin, a natural substance that helps control blood sugar levels.
Recent studies from the FDA and other sources have shown severe negative side effects from taking Actos. If you or a loved one is taking Actos, please read on for facts about the drug and the litigation surrounding it.
Facts about Actos:
- A 2005 Proactive study demonstrated a higher percentage of bladder cancer cases in patients receiving Actos.
- In 2007, the FDA requested that Actos boxes be given a black box label, the strongest FDA-requested label change that can be added to a drug, due to the risk of serious cardiovascular events caused by the drug.
- On June 16, 2011, the FDA required a label change for Actos because the drug, in users using for more than a year, causes a 40% increase in the risk for bladder cancer.
- On August 17, 2011, the website EHealthMe released a study regarding the side effects of taking Actos and the bladder cancer risk, finding that most of the 22,512 subjects reported side effects when taking Actos and 0.22% have bladder cancer.
- France and Germany have banned the use of Actos, an action which affected the FDA’s June 2011 action of requiring a label change.
- The American Diabetes Association has recognized an association between Actos and bladder cancer.
Litigation News:
- Last month, Plaintiffs filed a motion for transfer of all Actos actions to the Southern District of Illinois and other various federal jurisdictions.
- The petitions allege that “[a]s a result of the defective nature of Actos, persons who were prescribed and ingested Actos for more than twelve months were at an increased risk for developing bladder cancer, have suffered and may continue to suffer from bladder cancer.”
- Oral arguments for the case(s) took place in Savannah, GA at the Multi-District Litigation (MDL) hearing session on December 1, 2011.
- Lawsuits have been filled in the Northern District of New York, the Northern District of Illinois, the Western District of New York, the District of New Jersey, the Northern District of Ohio and the Central District of California.