Actos Case Goes to Trial, More Than 3,000 Cases Pending

According to Bloomberg News, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. is alleged to have duped patients and doctors about the risks of the diabetes drug Actos, leaving it potentially liable for the cancer death of a former U.S. Army translator.

Lawyers for the plaintiff, Diep An, allege that Takeda failed to provide any warning about the drug’s side effects until 2011, which allowed the manufacturer to protect billions of dollars in sales.

The case is the second of more than 3,000 lawsuits filed against Takeda over Actos across the country to come to trial. Earlier this year, a California jury ordered Takeda to pay $6.5 million in damages to a diabetic man who blamed the drug for his bladder cancer; however, according to Bloomberg the judge threw out the verdict and the family of the man is currently appealing the ruling.

As also reported by Bloomberg, sales of Actos peaked in March 2011 at $4.5 billion. The drug was responsible for 27 percent of the company’s revenue at the time; however, as news about side effects have become more prevalent in the media and a generic version of the drug has been made public, sales have declined.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a warning in 2011 about using Actos for more than one year and the associated risk of bladder cancer. Takeda was also ordered to add bladder cancer to the list of side effects on Actos’s label.

Zoll & Kranz, LLC represents individuals injured by Actos and other dangerous drugs. If you would like more information, please contact ZK toll-free at  (888) 841-9623.