Actos Bladder Cancer Class Action Lawsuit Filed in Canada

An Actos class action lawsuit has been filed in Canada on behalf of consumers who developed bladder cancer after taking the popular diabetes drug.

The complaint was filed on December 21, in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice against Takeda Pharmaceitucal Company and Eli Lilly, the makers and distributors of the drug.

The class action suit was brought by the estate of a Toronto woman who died in 2011 from bladder cancer after taking Actos for treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Actos (pioglitazone) is a prescription medication that increases the body’s sensitivity to insulin. In recent years, the popularity of Actos has increased, generating an estimated $4.3 billion in sales last year and becoming one of the ten best selling drugs in the United States.

Over the past year, concerns about the risk of bladder cancer from Actos have increased, leading to a number of consumer lawsuits and regulatory actions to help protect users of the medication.

In June 2011, the FDA issued warnings indicating that use of Actos for more than one year has been associated with a bladder cancer risk. As a result of the high incidence of cancer identified, French drug regulators forced an Actos recall to be issued in that country, and many have suggested that Actos should be removed from the market in the United States as well.

Over the past four months, a growing number of people throughout the United States have filed an Actos bladder cancer lawsuit alleging that the drug makers failed to properly research their medication or provide adequate warnings about the risks associated with using Actos.

According to the Actos bladder cancer class action lawsuit filed this week in Canada, Takeda and Eli Lilly knew or should have known that Actos increased the risk of bladder cancer. The lawsuit accuses the companies of failing to adequately warn doctors and patients about the risks of Actos bladder cancer side effects.