Actos is a drug designed to control blood sugar in Type 2 diabetics. It also contains serious risks for heart failure and bladder cancer, and is still on the market, despite being banned in France, Germany and India.

The company that makes Actos, Takeda Pharmaceuticals of Japan, has been sued by more than 3,000 people who claim that Actos gave them bladder cancer. Two of the lawsuits have found that Takeda was at fault for not warning consumers of the risk for bladder cancer.

The drug had blockbuster sales after its 1999 debut, with a peak of $4.5 billion in sales during 2011. That year, the drug was responsible for 27% of Takeda’s total profit. You can see why consumers might suspect that Takeda didn’t want bladder cancer warnings to inhibit sales.

The FDA found in 2011 that patients who take Actos for a year are 40 percent more likely to be diagnosed with bladder cancer. A five-year analysis found that the longer a person took Actos, the more likely they were to develop bladder cancer.

Although bladder cancer is very treatable in the early stages, it also has a high risk of recurrence.  That means that patients will be at risk of high medical bills for the rest of their lives, as they will require constant medical monitoring.

If you’ve been taking Actos and have been diagnosed with bladder cancer, you deserve to be compensated. Call us today at 816-842-6200 or toll-free at 877-520-6623 to speak with an attorney. Or you can email us and schedule your free consultation.

Jason C. Amerine
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President and Owner, Castle Law Office of Kansas City