Have you or a loved one been diagnosed with Bladder Cancer?
Did you take the drug Actos for more than 1 year?
The FDA recently announced that they were adding a warning to the label for pioglitazone-containing medicines. If you took the Type 2 diabetes drug Actos for 1 year or more and have been diagnosed with bladder cancer you may be eligible for compensation. According to FDA data, the manufacturer may have failed to properly warn Type 2 diabetes patients about the possible risk of bladder cancer related to Actos use. Therefore, patients using the drug may be able to file a claim against the manufacturer seeking compensation for medical bills, as well as, damages.
"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reviewing data from an ongoing, ten-year epidemiological study designed to evaluate whether Actos (pioglitazone), is associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer... Actos is used along with diet and exercise to control blood sugar or improve control of blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus... The drug manufacturer, Takeda, has conducted a planned analysis of the study data at the five-year mark, and submitted their results to FDA... An increased risk of bladder cancer was observed among patients with the longest exposure to Actos, as well as in those exposed to the highest cumulative dose of Actos."
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with bladder cancer, it could have been caused by the prolonged use of the drug Actos. Contact a Products Liability attorney at the Law Firm of Feldman, Fox & Morgado to discuss your concerns. As always, your initial consultation is free.
Call today: 855-4-FFM-LAW
Facts about pioglitazone
- Sold as a single-ingredient product under the brand-name Actos. Also sold in combination with metformin (Actoplus Met, Actoplus Met XR) and glimepiride (Duetact).
- Used along with diet and exercise to improve control of blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Recent announcement form the FDA regarding Actos and bladder cancer
[8-4-2011] The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is informing the public that the Agency has approved updated drug labels for the pioglitazone-containing medicines to include safety information that the use of pioglitazone for more than one year may be associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer. FDA previously communicated these labeling changes to the public on June 15, 2011 (Drug Safety Communication).
The updated drug labels recommend that healthcare professionals should:
- Not use pioglitazone in patients with active bladder cancer.
- Use pioglitazone with caution in patients with a prior history of bladder cancer.
The updated drug labels recommend that patients should:
- Contact their healthcare professional if they experience any sign of blood in the urine or a red color in the urine or other symptoms such as new or worsening urinary urgency or pain on urination since starting pioglitazone, as these may be due to bladder cancer.
Healthcare professionals and patients can access the latest drug labels for pioglitazone-containing medicines at:
- Actos (pioglitazone)
- Actoplus Met (pioglitazone/metformin)
- Actoplus Met XR (pioglitazone/metformin extended-release)
- Duetact (pioglitazone/glimepiride)
Read the Actos Medication Guide
The FDA is recommending all pioglitazone drugs be prescribed and used under a risk management program, known as a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS), to ensure the safe use of these drugs. Read the Actos REMS
Possible signs or symptoms of Actos bladder cancer may include:
- Blood in the urine
- Pain/burning during urination
- Strong urge to urinate, frequent urination
- Bladder infections continue after medication
Contact a Products Liability Lawyer Today!
You may be eligible for financial compensation if you have been diagnosed with bladder cancer and have taken Actos for more than 1 year. For more information, please contact our one of our Products Liability lawyers. Feldman, Fox & Morgado will review your case to determine if you may be eligible for compensation including present/future medical bills, long-term care/treatment, as well as, pain and suffering. Contact Feldman, Fox & Morgado today for more information.
Unfortunately, many physicians were not aware of the link between Actos and bladder cancer before this new FDA announcement. Physicians and hospitals have ordered Actos for years without educating patients to the potential for bladder cancer from prolonged use of Actos.
If you or loved one has been diagnosed with bladder cancer and have over 1 year of Actyos use for your Type 2 diabetes, contact the law firm of Feldman, Fox & Morgado to discuss your case. In some instances, the physicians and hospitals dosing Actos may have also breached the standard of care and this matter can be explored as well.
Contact Feldman, Fox & Morgado today, 855-4-FFM-LAW
