New York personal injury lawyer Michael A. Rose of Hach & Rose says the FDA study confirming an increased risk of bladder cancer for diabetes patients who took Actos long-term can aid affected victims trying to document claims for compensation.
Michael A. Rose, partner at New York City personal injury law firm of Hach & Rose, LLP says the fact that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning that the leading diabetes drug Actos (pioglitazone) may raise the risk of bladder cancer when used for more than a year can help victims filing personal injury lawsuits to claim compensation after developing bladder cancer.
“The law firm of Hach & Rose is committed to protecting client rights and aggressively defending clients against large drug companies that put their own interests ahead of their patients,” said Rose. “Studies like this can significantly strengthen the cases of victims who have suffered the indignities of bladder cancer and the serious consequences to their quality of life due to taking Actos for extended periods of time.”
Rose said his firm plans to aggressively pursue the drug manufacturer on behalf of these victims.
The new bladder cancer warning is based on the FDA’s assessment of a ten-year study conducted by the drug’s manufacturer, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, LTD. The study revealed that Actos raised the risk of bladder cancer among patients taking the drug over a prolonged period of time at higher doses. As a result of the latest findings, the FDA is advising doctors not to prescribe Actos in patients with bladder cancer or a history of bladder cancer.
Type II diabetes is the most common form of the disease, affecting over 25 million Americans. The disease can lead to heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, kidney disease, blindness, or amputation. Actos was approved by the FDA to treat Type II diabetes in 1999. It is a pill that allows diabetic patients to improve control over blood sugar levels by making the body more sensitive to insulin, according to the manufacturer.
In 2010, more than two million patients were taking Actos, according to the FDA. The FDA reported that in one study involving more than 193,000 patients with diabetes, patients taking Actos were on the drug for an average of two years. The FDA report said that, “Compared to never being exposed to pioglitazone, a duration of pioglitazone therapy longer than 12 months was associated with a 40 percent increase in risk [for bladder cancer].”
Sales of Actos have risen recently because it has been deemed a safer alternative to GlaxoSmithKline’s diabetes drug Avandia, which was pulled off the shelves because of potential heart risks, according articles in Lawyers and Settlements. Last year, Actos generated $4.3 billion in sales for Takeda Pharmaceuticals, compared to $2.9 billion in 2006.