Actos
Actos, manufactured by Takeda, is a drug prescribed for treating type-2 diabetes. It has been marketed as a stand alone drug and in combination form as Actoplus Met and Duetact. Millions of prescriptions for Actos have been written, but unfortunately, it has now been linked to urinary bladder cancer after long term use.
In September 2010, the FDA announced that Actos may be linked to urinary bladder cancer based upon data from a 10 year epidemiological study. Since then, its warnings have included the risk of cancer and it has been removed from multiple markets in Europe. The medical literature seems to indicate that the risk of bladder cancer significantly increases for those who ingest Actos for longer than two years.
The popularity of Actos was in part due to the failures of other similar drugs prescribed for diabetes, ie, Rezulin and Avandia. In fact, doctors prescribed it as the safe alternative to Avandia, which was known to cause heart attacks and heart failure in some patients. Now, in addition to bladder cancer, a recent study by WellPoint Insurance Company found that ingesting Actos also increases the risk of having a heart attack or heart failure.
If you took Actos and were diagnosed with bladder cancer or a heart attack or heart failure, please contact the attorneys at Pogust, Braslow & Millrood so we can evaluate whether you have a potential claim.
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