Actos News

Four More Diabetes Patients Allege Actos Linked to Bladder Cancer
Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman has filed a new Actos bladder cancer lawsuit on behalf of four plaintiffs and three of their spouses against Japanese drug manufacturer Takeda Pharmaceuticals and its subsidiaries, alleging that the diabetes medication caused their bladder cancer. Eli Lilly, which launched Actos along with Takeda in 1999, is also listed as a defendant in the bundled complaint.

Plaintiffs, Kenneth Redding, Jr., his wife Sandra Redding, Luther Thurman, his wife Veronica Thurman, along with two others, claim that taking diabetes drug Actos caused their bladder cancer.  The case, 6:13-cv-00617, was filed in the United States District Court in the District of Louisiana in Lafayette.

The complaint will join over 1,200 wrongful death and personal injury Actos bladder cancer lawsuits already consolidated in multi-district litigation (MDL No. 6:11-md-2299) before U.S. District Judge Rebecca Doherty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Louisiana. 

According to the complaint, Takeda and other defendants knew there was a statistically significant link between Actos (known generically as pioglitazone) and bladder cancer for over ten years and aggressively promoted the drug as safe and effective despite this knowledge. The lawsuits also allege that defendants willfully misled the plaintiffs, other Actos patients and the health care community about the dangerous risk associated with taking Actos.

The complaint also claims that taking Actos led to personal injuries including bladder cancer and aftereffects, suffering, mental anguish, pain, bodily impairment and a diminished enjoyment of life. Plaintiffs are seeking compensatory damages and other damages for medical costs and economic loss.

About Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman, P.C.

Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman is a recognized preeminent plaintiff law firm based in Los Angeles, California.  The firm has successfully represented more than 4,000 individuals across the nation in personal injury and wrongful death cases involving harmful medications.

The firm has filed dozens of Actos bladder cancer lawsuits in both state and federal courts against Takeda Pharmaceuticals, its subsidiaries, and Eli Lilly.

Attorneys Michael Baum and Cynthia Garber are leading the firm’s Actos litigation and preparing the cases for trial in both state and federal courts. Both attorneys work directly with the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee overseeing the Actos multi-district litigation cases in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. They have also been appointed to the Actos Plaintiffs' Steering Committee for the California state court cases consolidated in Los Angeles.