Actos Side Effects and Complications

Actos, known generically as “pioglitazone,” is associated with a long list of side effects, the most serious and publicized of which are heart disease and bladder cancer.

Actos’s Packaging Warns of Its Link to Heart Disease

Actos became the leader in the diabetes-drug market after a 2007 study showed that another diabetes drug—Avandia—raised its users’ chances of having a heart attack by 43%. However, Actos’s packaging carries its own “black box” warning, the FDA’s most serious alert, stating that, in some patients, “Thiazolidinediones, including ACTOS, cause or exacerbate congestive heart failure”—a condition that is different from a heart attack, develops over time, and is characterized by the heart’s inability to properly pump blood.

Actos’s Packaging Prohibits Its Use on Bladder Cancer Patients

In August, 2011, the FDA approved changing the Actos label to state that Actos should not be prescribed to patients with bladder cancer and that the drug should be used with caution for those with a history of bladder cancer. Nevertheless, the FDA has never issued a recall announcement and here has been no Actos recall.

Still on the market in the United States, Actos has been the subject of hundreds of lawsuits filed by bladder cancer sufferers against the drug’s manufacturer, Takeda Pharmaceuticals. In one such suit the claimant alleges Takeda was aware of the risk of bladder cancer associated with the drug since as early as 2005, when a two-year carcinogenicity study conducted on rats revealed that rats taking Actos tended to develop drug-induced bladder tumors.

Actos Has Been Associated With a Long List of Adverse Side Effects

In addition to heart disease and bladder cancer, Actos has been associated with the following side effects:

• allergic reaction (as evidenced by hives; swelling of face, neck or throat);
• shortness of breath;
• swelling or rapid weight gain;
• chest pain, general ill feeling;
• nausea, stomach pain, low fever, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools;
• jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes);
• blurred vision;
• increased thirst or hunger, urinating more than usual; or
• pale skin, easy bruising or bleeding, weakness;
• sneezing, runny nose, cough or other signs of a cold;
• headache;
• gradual weight gain;
• muscle pain; or
• tooth problems.

Call Today For a Free Consultation

If you believe that you or someone you love has developed bladder cancer as a result of taking Actos or has suffered from other Actos side effects or complications, submit this simple secure form for a free and confidential evaluation to learn more about your eligibility to file an Actos lawsuit. Our lawyers understand that you’ve suffered and will make the process of evaluating your claim as quick and painless as possible.