Actos Concerns Contribute to Takeda Cutting Work Force

Takeda Pharmaceuticals has announced plans to cut 2,800 jobs in the United States and Europe, amid concerns over Actos sales and its recent acquisition of the Swiss drug company Nycomed. 

The company anticipates that the cuts will occur over the next four years, as the sales from its diabetes drug Actos are expected to continue to drop due to Actos bladder cancer concerns and competition from generics soon to hit the market.

The cuts represent about 9% of the Japanese drug maker’s workforce, and are expected to save Takeda about $1.7 billion by March 31, 2016, according to the January 18 announcement.

Actos (pioglitazone) was approved by the FDA to treat Type 2 Diabetes in July, 1999. It is a once-a-day pill that increases the body’s sensitivity to insulin.

The medication has grown in popularity in recent years, following concerns about a risk of heart problems from Avandia, the primary competitor for Actos. Annual sales have grown to an estimated $4.3 billion, but that is expected to fall off in the coming years.

It is expected that generic Actos equivalents will be introduced next August, which will cut into sales for the name brand version.

Sales may also be impacted by Actos concerns about a potential increased risk of bladder cancer associated with the type 2 diabetes drug. The FDA began reviewing the potential risk of Actos bladder cancer problems in September 2010, after interim data from an on-going 10 year study found that users may face an increased risk the longer they take the drug.

New warnings were placed on the Actos drug label in the United States and the European Union, but there have been calls from some critics for Takeda to issue an Actos recall due to the risks associated with the medication.

In the United States, Takeda faces a growing number of Actos lawsuits brought by individuals who developed bladder cancer after taking the drug. Complaints allege that Takeda concealed their knowledge that users may face an increased risk of bladder cancer and failed to provide adequate warnings to patients and the medical community.