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The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation is streamlining litigation for all federal cases alleging injury caused by the diabetes drug ACTOS®, a diabetes drug that has been linked with incidents of bladder cancer. These cases will now be brought under MDL No. 2299.

Since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June 2011 issued a Drug Safety Communication Update for Actos, Sheller, P.C. has continued to investigate the link between ACTOS® and bladder cancer.

The FDA warns that patients using ACTOS® (pioglitazone) for a year or longer have a substantially increased risk of bladder cancer. (Read announcement here). ACTOS® is the brand name of a drug developed by Takeda Pharmaceuticals in conjunction with Eli Lilly and Company. The drug is designed to help control blood sugar levels in patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

An FDA September 17, 2010, Safety Communication revealed that patients taking Actos over several years had an increased risk of bladder cancer. That Safety Communication was based on a planned five-year interim analysis of an ongoing, ten-year study that found as patients’ bladder cancer risks increased with patients’ exposure.

The FDA referred to a French Study which found a statistically significant increase in the risk of bladder cancer in Actos patients as compared to patients using other diabetic medications. The most significant increase in risk was observed in males.

Based on the results of this study, France has suspended the use of pioglitazone and Germany has recommended not to start pioglitazone in new patients. If you or anyone you know takes ACTOS® and has experienced these symptoms, you should consult your health care provider immediately to check for bladder cancer:

  • Blood in the urine
  • Urgent need to urinate
  • Pain while urinating
  • Frequent urination, or feeling the need to urinate but with no results
  • Pain in the abdominal (stomach) area or in the back

If you or someone you know has taken Actos and developed bladder cancer, please call Sheller, P.C. at 1-800-833-2299.

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