Actos Bladder Cancer Information
If you are looking for information about Actos bladder cancer, this page has some answers for you.
Taking the type 2 diabetes drug Actos for longer than 12 months increases a patient’s risk of developing bladder cancer by 40%, according to a June 2011 announcement by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The research that served as the basis for this announcement was conducted by Actos’s manufacturer, Takeda Pharmaceuticals. When the FDA approved Actos as a treatment for type 2 diabetes in 1999, Takeda agreed to undertake a 10-year study to assess Actos’s potential to increase a patient’s risk of developing bladder cancer. The FDA’s June 2011 Actos bladder cancer announcement was precipitated by a five-year interim analysis of the data from that study, which Takeda began in 2002.
The FDA’s Response to the Actos Bladder Cancer News
In light of the information about Actos’s relationship to bladder cancer contained in the FDA’s June 2011 announcement, Actos’s packaging was changed in August 2011 to state that it should not be prescribed to patients with bladder cancer and that doctors should exercise heightened caution when deciding whether or not to prescribe Actos to patients with a history of bladder cancer.
Europe’s Response to the Actos Bladder Cancer News
The regulating bodies in two European countries have gone a step further than the FDA: France has banned Actos, and in Germany, physicians may not start new patients on the drug.
France and Germany took these steps in response to the results of a French National Health Insurance Plan study that showed a statistically significant increase in the risk for bladder cancer in patients exposed to Actos compared to patients exposed to other anti-diabetic agents.
Actos Bladder Cancer Symptoms
According to the FDA, diabetes patients on Actos should tell their doctor if they are having symptoms of bladder cancer such as:
- blood or red color in urine;
- an urgent need to urinate;
- pain while urinating; or
- pain in back or lower abdomen.
Speak to an Actos Bladder Cancer Lawyer For Free
If you believe that you or someone you love has developed bladder cancer or suffered some other adverse side effect as a result of taking Actos, submit this simple secure form for a free and confidential evaluation to learn more about your eligibility to file an Actos lawsuit.
Legal action is the best way to recover the most compensation for your medical expenses and pain and suffering. The Actos lawyers at the Rottenstein Law Group do everything we can to streamline the process of helping bladder cancer sufferers get the compensation they deserve. We will file an Actos lawsuit on your behalf if necessary.
