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Actos (Pioglitazone)Controlling Type II Diabetes

Actos is a drug that helps control blood sugar level for people with Type II Diabetes. Long-term use of the drug, however, has been associated with bladder cancer, congestive heart failure (CHF), heart attacks, and additional side-effects. Lawsuits have been filed against Takeda Pharmaceutical claiming that the company did not warn the public of the potential dangers of the drug.

What is Actos?

Actos is an anti-diabetic drug used to help control high blood sugar in patients with Type II Diabetes. The drug works by helping to restore the body’s proper response to insulin thereby lowering blood sugar levels. It is not used for treatment of Type I Diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis.

Adverse Reactions to Actos

Prolonged use of Actos (Pioglitazone) has been linked to bladder cancer, liver disease, and cardiovascular issues. A study conducted in 2012 by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) noted that people who take Actos for an extended period have an 83 percent higher risk of developing bladder cancer. Other side effects include chronic kidney disease, lactic acidosis, and bone fractures.

Risk of Bladder Cancer

  • No significant increase in bladder cancer for less than 12 months of usage 0%
  • 12 to 24 months of continued use increase the risk by 20 to 40% for bladder cancer 40%
  • Continuous usage for 2 or more years increases the risk to over 80% 80%

Most frequent Actos reactions

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates over-the-counter and prescription drugs in the United States, including biological therapeutics and generic drugs. This work covers more than just medicines. For example, fluoride toothpaste, antiperspirants, dandruff shampoos and sunscreens are all considered drugs.

An adverse event is submitted to the FDA to report any undesirable experience associated with the use of a medical product in a patient. For drugs, this includes serious drug side effects, product use errors, product quality problems, and therapeutic failures for prescription or over-the-counter medicines and medicines administered to hospital patients or at outpatient infusion centers.

Regarding more information related to Actos, please check out this link to the FDA website.

Current Actos Lawsuits

In April 2015, Takeda Pharamceuticals agreed to settle nearly 5,000 federal lawsuits and thousands of state cases related to the side-effects of Actos for $2.37 billion. As part of one of the largest pharmaceutical settlements in U.S. history, each person who filed received upwards of $275,000. If you or a loved one has suffered side-effects related to Actos, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit or join a class action lawsuit against Actos.

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