Actos Bladder Cancer Litigation Underway to Offer Patients Relief

Actos litigation is well underway. Federal Judge Rebecca Doherty has consolidated In Re: Actos (Pioglitazone) Products Liability Litigation into multidistrict litigation, which currently has over a thousand plaintiffs suing Takeda Pharmaceuticals and its subsidiaries.  Patients across the United States have filed suit in order to obtain expedited relief. 

At the heart of these lawsuits is a claim that plaintiffs were not alerted to the health risks inherent to taking Actos until too late.  Plaintiffs have asserted that the pharmaceutical giant knew or should have known of the dangers this drug posed to their health.  Many of these patients were shocked to develop life altering conditions after taking their medication, such as bladder cancer. 

What is Actos

Actos is a prescribed daily medication for diabetes type 2.  In conjunction with diet and exercise, Actos is intended to control the insulin resistance by raising the patient's sensitivity to insulin.  

Actos (pioglitazone) accounts for approximately 20% of the diabetes medication prescribed today.  Made by Takeda Pharmaceuticals and distributed by Eli Lilly, this drug has enjoyed massive distribution.  Approved in 1999, Actos accounts for over $5 billion in reported sales per year.  

The Alleged Problem with Actos

Actos was sold as the answer to Avandia, a drug which previously carried significant risks of heart attack.  The problem was that these "safer" claims did not appear to be consistent according to various research studies.  

In 1998, Kaiser Permanente began studying the effects of Actos, believing the statistical data in Actos' clinical trials did not tell the entire story of potential outcomes.  After 10 years, Kaiser published this study, concluding patients taking Actos had a 40% increased risk of developing bladder cancer.

This came as quite a shock to patients, who were already at increased risk of bladder cancer.  High risk patients were advised by the FDA to discuss alternative options with their doctors. 

If You Have Been Harmed

Actos litigation is still active.  If you have taken your Actos medication as prescribed and have later developed bladder cancer, heart failure, or suspicious bone fractures, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries.  Patients suffering are encouraged to consult a skilled product liability and personal injury attorney to obtain the relief they need.

Actos Litigation To Begin Soon

For consumers suffering Actos injuries, it appears relief is right around the corner.  The first of over 1,000 filed Actos lawsuits will officially go to trial on February 19,2003 in Los Angeles.  The case,  Jack Cooper, et al. v. Takeda Pharmaceuticals America, Inc., et al has been consolidated into multidistrict litigation, which allows victims expedited relief. Judge Kenneth R. Freeman will be presiding over this important initial case.

Why Is There Actos Litigation

Actos litigation initiated after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advised consumers in a safety warning that Actos had been linked to bladder cancer.  According to recent studies, patients who had taken Actos for a year or longer were as much as 40% more likely to develop bladder cancer.  Thousands of Americans reported adverse health consequences, including bladder cancer to the FDA as a result of taking Actos.  Because of this link, injured patients filed suit against the pharmaceutical company.

In each of these complaints, patients allege the pharmaceutical company knew or should have known about the dangers that Actos presented to consumers.  These health consequences included:

• heart failure, heart attacks
• limb fractures
• bladder cancer
• death

Because of these severe consequences, injured Actos patients have filed suit to protect their rights and recover costly medical bills.

If You Have Been Injured Taking Actos

If you've suffered any of these terrible effects after taking Actos medication, it's not too late to determine whether or not you're eligible for compensation.  If you've suffered taking this medication, you should consult a skilled product liability attorney to review your case. 

Estimated Half of Diabetes Sufferers Unaware they Have Disease

Are you living with diabetes? If you haven't been checked lately, you may be living with diabetes but blissfully unaware of the problem.  According to the International Diabetes Foundation (IDF,) half of the people with the disease are unaware that they have it.

How can people not know they have diabetes?  World wide, health care standards vary and many poor and low income families do not see a doctor and because of poor health education, may be unaware that they are symptomatic of the disease.  The IDF estimates approximately 187 million people world wide do not know they have diabetes.

Diabetes Symptoms to Look For

According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes symptoms differ depending on whether you have type 1 diabetes, the kind you're born with, or type 2 diabetes, nicknamed lifestyle diabetes.
If you suffer the following symptoms, you should seek medical treatment and testing to determine whether you have diabetes:

Type 1:

• Increased thirst
• Increased hunger
• Frequently urinating
• Unusual fatigue, irritability associated with fatigue
• Sudden weight loss

Type 2:

• type 1 diabetes symptoms
• recurring infections
• blurry vision that is not the result of a known eye condition
• slow healing cuts and bruises
• numbness or tingling in the extremities
• frequent gum, skin, or bladder infections

Alone, one or two of these symptoms could potentially be coincidental, but it behooves you to get checked out by your family physician. At the very least, a test and an exam by your doctor can set your mind at ease.  If doctors diagnose you with diabetes, you do have options.

Patients Should Be Aware that Some Diabetes Treatments are Dangerous

If your doctor tells you that you have diabetes, you should be aware that some diabetes treatments are known to be dangerous.  For example, the type 2 diabetes treatment, Actos, is known to cause bladder cancer.  In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a warning that Actos patients who took the drug for a year or longer had as much as 40% increased risk of developing bladder cancer.

Talk to your doctor about your options- lifestyle and medications available to aid you.  Be aware that in some cases, treatments of these diseases could cause other problems you never anticipated.  If your diabetes treatment injures you, please consult a skilled personal injury and product liability attorney to preserve your rights.  You could be entitled to compensation for these injuries.

Could Statin Drugs' Off Label Use Reduce Cancer Deaths?

New Study Suggests Statins Could Reduce Cancer Deaths

A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine today reports that statins, the cholesterol reducing medicines in Lipitor and Crestor, may actually reduce death rates from cancer. Danish researchers at Copenhagen University Hospital cite that in a study of over 300,000 Danish cancer patients, the estimated 20,000 who had taken statins saw a 15 to 20 percent reduction in cancer deaths.

To keep this in perspective, chemotherapy, the dominant accepted form of cancer treatment also reduces cancer deaths by 15 to 20 percent.  Could taking statins produce the same end result as undergoing months of painful, uncomfortable, nauseating chemotherapy?

Researchers predict it is too early to tell if statin drugs could be a viable alternative or compliment to chemotherapy teatment in patients.  But as exciting as these findings are, they only inspire more questions.

Cancer Rates are on the Rise- Could Statins Lower These Rates

The promise that statins could hold is especially exciting since cancer rates have been on the rise.  Recent pharmaceutical drugs' side effects have raised the cancer rates in America and abroad to include thousands of new cases.

One such example is the prescription drug Actos, which was prescribed as a treatment for type 2 diabetes.  The FDA warned that after using this drug for a year or longer, patients had a 40% increased risk of developing bladder cancer.  Thousands of patients have come forward, complaining to the FDA and filing suit against the manufacturer for these injuries.

If statin drugs could produce the same 15 to 20 percent reduction on a larger scale, cancer patients everywhere could have yet another weapon in their arsenal to try and extend their life. Until there are clinical trials to show indisputable scientific evidence of this effectiveness, we shall all just wait and see. 

If you try new untested treatments and face injuries, you should seek medical help.  But if these off label treatments were suggested to you by your doctor or promoted by the pharmaceutical manufacturers, you should also seek the advice of a skilled product liability lawyer. 

Actos Litigation Heating Up

Across the country, Actos® litigation has begun to heat up.  In Southern California, another 115 cases have filed against manufacturer Takeda Pharmaceuticals and its distributor, Eli Lilly. Across the nation, thousands of cases have filed alleging consumers developed bladder cancer as a result of taking their prescription Actos® (Plioglitazone) medication.

This multidistrict litigation has begun with 5 bellweather cases as test cases, so to speak.  When these 5 cases finish, other litigants should have a clearer idea of how much they can potentially recover from these pharmaceutical giants.


If You Have Developed Bladder Cancer from taking Actos®

Bladder cancer is a painful form of cancer, but if you catch it early enough there are treatment options.  You should immediately seek medical attention.  Go to your primary physician and discuss potential treatments according to your health history and age.

If you have taken your prescription Actos® medication and have developed bladder cancer, you may be entitled to compensation.  You should seek the aid of an experienced product liability attorney to file suit on your behalf.

What Can I Recover in a Product Liability Case

Plaintiffs in product liability cases might be eligible for large settlements that could potentially include the following kinds of compensation:

• reimbursed medical bills, medical costs
• future medical bills, costs
• loss of earnings, wages
• pain and suffering
• loss of companionship
• punitive damages

As the  Actos® litigation proceeds, attorneys will get a clearer picture of what kinds of compensation, if any, are available to injured consumers.  Call an experienced product liability attorney today for a free consultation to discuss your case.

Actos Judge Accused of Misconduct by Plaintiff Attorneys

As the Actos litigation heats up, so too do the emotions surrounding the issue.  In one of the stranger twists in this litigation, many attorneys have cried foul to Judge Rebecca Doherty’s efforts to reach out to a state judge to coordinate trial efforts.

Judge Doherty recently contacted New Mexico state Judge Sarah Singleton to coordinate their efforts.  Following the guidelines established in the Mass Tort Litigation Committee of the Conference of Chief Justices’ State Manual, Judge Doherty noted, “coordination, cooperation, discussion and interaction between and among federal courts and state courts is not a novel thing…rather, it is advised, encouraged, and welcomed by both the federal and state courts.”

It is likely that attorneys feared this federal judge would try to exert her influence over state litigation.  However, Judge Doherty assured attorneys that this was not the case.  She further warned litigating attorneys against an inflammatory tone intended to manipulate or intimidate the courts.

Why Is there Actos Litigation

Actos litigation initiated following a U.S. Food and Drug Administration safety warning that Actos could cause a 40% higher risk of bladder cancer in patients who have taken this drug for a year or longer.  This data was supported by Kaiser Permanente’s 10 year meta- study of Actos patients.  Across the nation and even across the globe, similar studies have further supported these claims.

Actos patients began to suffer the ill effects of bladder cancer and even die.  In response, injured patients and grieving family members filed suits in multidistrict litigation.  These Actos lawsuits have been going on since December 2011 and are expected to continue into 2013. As patients develop bladder cancer or die, more patients consider filing suit every day.

If You Have Been Injured by Actos

If you are an Actos patient that has developed bladder cancer, you do not have to suffer alone.  Call our experienced and knowledgeable Actos injury attorneys today for your free consultation.  We want to obtain the justice you deserve and get you the compensation you need.  Call us today and we can get to work on your case.

 

 

CASES AGAINST ACTOS MANUFACTURER ON THE RISE

Actos Lawsuits Rise

Patients with diabetes injuries have been filing suit in droves against Actos manufacturer, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, its subsidiaries, and Eli Lilly.  These cases recently reached over 800 individuals alleging their diabetes injuries were the result of taking their Actos medication as prescribed.

Sold as the “safer alternative” to its predecessor, Avandia, Actos has been controversial due to a multitude of studies which allege the drug increases the risk of bladder cancer in patients.  In their July 2011 public health communication, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cited a 40% increased risk of developing bladder cancer when patients took Actos for a year or longer.  This is particularly troubling because Actos reportedly held a 20% market share of diabetes medications overall.  How many millions of people could have potentially risked their health taking this medication?

Why the Lawsuits?

Plaintiffs allege these diabetes injuries were the result of Actos’ manufacturer, subsidiaries, and distributor’s failure to protect the public by aggressively marketing a medication they knew or should have known to be unsafe.  Some cases have cited early studies which suggest a strong link to increased rates of bladder cancer.  And other cases report 100+ consumercomplaints a year that should have alerted the defendants to the dangerous side effects.

Due to this large number of cases filed across the nation, a federal judge recently consolidated these cases into one multi- district litigation in the hopes that this will expedite victims’ relief.  If you are seeking relief for your diabetes injury, you should consult an attorney today.  If you or your loved one has been injured taking your Actos medication as prescribed, you could be entitled to compensation.  Call our skilled product liability attorneys today to preserve your legal rights.