Actos News

New Study Confirms Actos Linked to Increased Risk of Bladder Cancer
Monday, January 28, 2013

A new study published in the January edition of Diabetic Medicine confirms myriad other studies in recent years linking diabetes drug Actos (pioglitazone) to an increased risk of developing bladder cancer. The study, which looked at data from over 215,000 patients taking Actos, showed that "the hazard of developing bladder cancer was significantly higher in patients using pioglitazone." The elevated hazard ratio of 1.23 compared to control groups in the study led researchers to advise doctors against prescribing the drug to certain patients.

Actos has been on the radar of public health agencies around the world for years. In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) initially issued a safety warning on Actos in 2011, stating that use of the drug after one year can increase one's chances of developing bladder cancer. The danger posed by the drug prompted France and Germany to pull Actos out of the marketplace.

The large-scale study in Diabetic Medicine will likely support the claims made by thousands of Actos patients that have filed Actos bladder cancer lawsuits against Takeda Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of Actos. The first Actos lawsuit went to trial in Los Angeles in January 2013. Actos multidistrict litigation (MDL) against Takeda is pending in federal court, with the first federal lawsuit expected to go to trial in November 2014.