Actos

The Actos lawyers at Breakstone, White & Gluck, P.C., of Boston are reviewing cases involving patients who have taken the diabetes medication Actos for more than a year and developed bladder cancer. We are handling cases on behalf of residents throughout Massachusetts.

Actos is known generically as pioglitazone and is used to help control type II diabetes. In June 2011, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a safety warning which resulted in new instructions for patients with bladder cancer to avoid the drug.

If you have suffered complications from Actos, contact us now for a free and confidential legal consultation at 800-379-1244. You can also use our contact form.

Drug Profile

Actos is an oral diabetes drug manufactured by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company and co-marketed by Eli Lilly and Company. On the market since 1999, Actos has been a leading drug used in the treatment of type II diabetes, with 2.3 million patients filling prescriptions for it in the United States in 2010.

It is generically known as pioglitazone, which belongs to the thiazolidinedione class of drugs. This class also includes the diabetes drug Avandia, an alternative to Actos in treating diabetes. Avandia was placed on FDA restrictions for use in 2011 due to the risk for heart attacks.

FDA Action

On June 15, 2011, the FDA released a safety communication informing the public that using Actos for more than a year may be associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer. The FDA acted based on its ongoing monitoring of a 10-year Actos study into the risk for developing bladder cancer. The study reports that there may be a 40 percent greater risk of developing bladder cancer among those who take Actos for more than one year.

The FDA also noted France had suspended use of Actos while Germany had recommended new patients not start using the drug. These actions followed an epidemiological study out of France which suggested an increased risk of bladder cancer with pioglitazone use.

The FDA safety communication warned that patients with active bladder cancer should not take pioglitazone and those with a prior history should only use it after considering the medical benefits against the risk for cancer recurrence.

On August 4, 2011, the FDA reported it had approved new label and medication instructions for Actos. The FDA is continuing to monitor the results of Actos studies.

When to Call an Actos Lawyer

If you have taken Actos and developed bladder cancer, you may have the right to seek compensation for medical care, lost wages and other damages.

Symptoms of bladder cancer include blood or red color in urine, urination pain and lower back and abdominal pain. If you have experienced these symptoms, first contact a doctor. Then contact the experienced Actos lawyers at Breakstone, White & Gluck of Boston at 800-379-1244 or use our contact form.

Our Boston product liability lawyers have over 80 years combined experience and have successfully handled cases involving defective drugs and medical devices. We represent clients throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hamsphire and other New England states.