San Diego, CA (PRWEB) November 15, 2013
http://www.resource4thepeople.com/defectivedrugs/Actos-Bladder-Cancer-Lawsuit.html
Resource4thePeople announced today its latest update for consumers who have been following litigation involving allegations that the diabetes medication Actos can cause patients to develop bladder cancer.
“In the wake of two trials this year in which juries returned verdicts against Takeda Pharmaceuticals involving allegations that the medication can lead to bladder cancer in patients new lawsuits continue to be filed,” said Resource4thePeople.
“Even though those verdicts were set aside over legal technicalities we note an increase in the number of consumer inquiries over these allegations and the continuation of the filing of lawsuits involving bladder cancer allegations linked to the use of Actos.”
Resource4thePeople also announced that its national network of consumers will continue to offer free consultations to consumers who may have been affected by these allegations and are seeking information about what legal rights they may have to seek compensation.
Among the most recent lawsuits are four filed by four men in Illinois.* Each man is seeking over $1.75 million in damages over allegations that their treatment with Actos caused them to develop bladder cancer.
Their claims against Takeda Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of the medication include allegations of negligence, strict liability, negligent failure to warn, negligent design defect, negligence, breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty, breach of implied warranty of merchantability and defective design, according to the court file.
The cases were filed in the wake of a Maryland jury's award** of $1.7 million to the family of a man who alleged that his use of Actos caused him to die of bladder cancer. That verdict was overturned after the judge found that the victim’s 30-year smoking habit contributed to his death.
The Maryland case was the second this year in which a jury found in favor of a plaintiff alleging that Takeda Pharmaceuticals was liable over bladder cancer but had the damages overturned on legal technicalities, according to court documents.
The Maryland case was preceded by one in California where a jury found in April that Takeda should pay $6.5 million in damages over similar allegations, according to the court file in that case.***
"In two cases involving serious allegations that Takeda failed to properly warn patients and doctors about the drug’s links to bladder cancer juries have returned verdicts in favor of the victims," said Resource4thePeople.
"We are following the progress of this litigation and will continue to provide regular updates to consumers affected by these allegations from the court dockets and from the trials that are unfolding," said Resource4thePeople.
Bloomberg News reported Sept. 26, 2013 that Takeda Pharmaceuticals, which is Asia's largest drug manufacturer, has been named in "more than 3,000 suits over the drug."****
Over 2,500 of these Actos lawsuits***** are part of what is called a federal multidistrict litigation that have been assigned to a U.S. District Court judge in Louisiana who has scheduled a bellwether case to be held in January.
Resource4thePeople also is announcing that the number of cases involved in the Louisiana multidistrict litigation has climbed to 2,587, according to the latest figures provided by federal court officials.******
The federal consolidated lawsuits were assigned to a federal judge chosen by a federal panel of judges to oversee pre-trial evidence-gathering and legal procedures.
The Bloomberg News report cited important facts about the Maryland case:
"A Maryland jury ruled that Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. (4502) didn’t properly warn an ex-U.S. Army translator and his doctor about the risks of its Actos diabetes drug and ordered the company to pay more than $1.7 million in damages. A judge immediately threw out the verdict.
"Jurors in state court in Baltimore deliberated more than six hours over two days before finding Asia’s largest drugmaker liable for the cancer death of Diep An, Michael Miller, one of An’s lawyers, said in an interview. Since jurors also found that An contributed to his death by smoking for 30 years, Judge Brooke Murdock set the verdict aside based on Maryland law."
Concerns about Actos were raised by the Food and Drug Administration on June 15, 2011 after the agency reviewed a Takeda-sponsored study which documented an increased risk of developing bladder cancer with Actos than other diabetes drugs.*******
Here is part of the safety announcement:
“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is informing the public that use of the diabetes medication Actos (pioglitazone) for more than one year may be associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer. Information about this risk will be added to the Warnings and Precautions section of the label for pioglitazone-containing medicines. The patient Medication Guide for these medicines will also be revised to include information on the risk of bladder cancer.”
Resource4thePeople also reports that India has banned the sale of the medication out of consumer safety concerns as detailed******** in the June 27, 2013 edition of The Times of India, the national newspaper, which wrote:
“In the case of pioglitazone too, France has already taken it off the shelves, while in the US it is sold with a boxed warning. The warning emphasizes that it may cause or worsen heart failure, and its use for over a year may be associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer.”
Sources:
*Case #s 13-536 – 13-539, Madison County Circuit Court of Illinois
**An v. Nieberlein, Case # 24-C12003565, Circuit Court for the City of Baltimore, State of Maryland
***Cooper v. Takeda Pharmaceuticals America Inc., Case #CGC-12-518535, California Superior Court, Los Angeles
**** http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-09-26/takeda-failed-to-properly-warn-about-actos-risks-jury-rules-1
*****In Re: Actos (Pioglitazone) Products Liability Litigation, MDL2299 U.S. District Court, Western District of Louisiana
******http://www.jpml.uscourts.gov/sites/jpml/files/Pending_MDL_Dockets_By_District-October-17-2013.pdf
******* http://www.fda.gov/drugs/drugsafety/ucm259150.htm
******** http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-06-27/india/40232041_1_flupenthixol-and-melitracen-novalgin-analgin