Actos Lawsuit Attorneys

An Actos lawsuit may be an option for patients who have experienced serious complications after taking the drug, including bladder cancer. As potential risks for health complications linked to Actos are made known, patients who have suffered severe side effects may be eligible to file a lawsuit and recover compensation for their conditions and injuries with the help of a dangerous drug attorney.

For more information, contact Attorney Group today. Our consultations are free, confidential and without any obligation on your part. We can help answer your questions, and if you choose to pursue a claim we can connect you with an affiliated Actos lawsuit attorney who can assist you throughout the legal process.

What is Actos?

Actos is an anti-diabetic medication used to treat type 2 diabetes and designed to help a patient’s cells become more sensitive to pancreas-produced insulin. Classified within the thiazolidinedione (TZD) family, Actos is similar to two of the three other drugs in this same group that have been restricted or recalled due to possible fatal side effects. As a group, experts reportedly agree that these drugs can be linked to anemia, edema, heart problems and liver complications, among other side effects.

Actos lawyers note that the drug brought in over $5 billion in 2010 despite studies and reports linking the medication to bladder cancer and congestive heart failure. Researchers continue to analyze the drug further in an attempt to establish potentially fatal health complications.

Is Actos Safe?

As more reports of complications came to light, many experts in the healthcare sector argued that the medication should only be used in patients as a last resort. One trial in particular examined over 10,000 patients taking the medication for type 2 diabetes. While some patients exhibited common side effects such as headaches and sore throats, others suffered from severe conditions such as bladder cancer and heart failure.

Physicians maintain that patients may experience symptoms after the first dose, when the dosage is increased or when patients stop taking the drug. Common side effects include:

• Diarrhea
• Sore throat
• Urinary tract infections
• Fatigue
• Fever, chills
• Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar
• Allergic reactions including itching, swelling of the race, skin rashes or hives
• Feeling ill
• Headache
• Sinus irritation or infection
• Upper respiratory infection
• Limb, muscle and tooth pain

While serious complications are rare, many patients currently working with Actos lawsuit attorneys are alleging that the medication caused:

• bladder cancer
• congestive heart failure
• bone fractures, and
• lactic acidosis.

Patients suffering from a pre-existing medical condition may experience more severe side effects.

The FDA Continues to Investigate

As claims from patients and Actos lawsuit attorneys continued to rise, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) claims that it knew nothing of the drug’s potential side effects or complications. Rather than immediately investigating, however, the FDA reportedly allowed the manufacturer to continue to produce and market the medication, although it did require that Takeda update the drug’s warning label in June 2011 following a 10-year-long study that showed a strong link between the medication and bladder cancer.

Additionally, the FDA approved a generic version of Actos, despite mounting claims from plaintiffs and the Actos lawsuit attorneys representing them. The FDA had been reviewing results from a five-year-long study conducted by the manufacturer. Results suggested that those taking the drug had a 40 percent increased chance of developing bladder cancer than those who took a similar medication or failed to take a drug at all.

Currently, the FDA is researching the medication as well as similar medications such as Byetta, Januvia, Janumet and Victoza for similar risks of bladder cancer, pancreatic cancer, pancreatitis and thyroid cancer.

Actos Lawsuits

Thousands of former and current patients who claim that they were injured by the medication are working with Actos lawsuit attorneys to file lawsuits against Takeda to seek compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering and lost wages. In 2015, Takeda agreed to a $2.2 billion Actos settlement to resolve outstanding personal injury claims relating to the medication. This settlement jury verdicts finding against the company for injuries related to Actos.

A settlement of past claims does not preclude other affected patients from pursuing a claim for injuries with the help of an Actos lawsuit attorney, nor does it guarantee the outcome of any future cases.

How an Actos Lawsuit Can Help

Drug makers have a duty to provide safe products. If there are risks of harm associated with their products, they also must provide adequate warnings. If a drug maker fails to fulfill this duty, it could be held liable in lawsuits for injuries that may result.

People injured by bad drugs may be eligible to recover money for:

• Medical Expenses
• Lost Wages
• Pain and Suffering

The families of those who have died may be eligible to recover money for funeral expenses and the pain that comes with losing a loved one.

For more information, contact Attorney Group. After you contact us, an attorney will follow up to answer questions that you might have. There is no cost or obligation to speak with us, and any information you provide will be kept confidential.

Please note that the law limits the time you have to pursue a claim or file a lawsuit for an injury. If you think you have a case, you should not delay taking action.