LOS ANGELES (PRWEB) August 06, 2013
The national law firm of Baron and Budd is reviewing results of the first major Actos lawsuit cases alleging that patients had an increased risk of bladder cancer due to Actos use.
A popular drug used to help control blood sugar levels, Actos has been on the market and trusted by patients and doctors alike as an effective diabetes drug since the late 1990s. Notwithstanding the benefits of Actos use for diabetic patients, serious risks have been associated with Actos use, specifically the alleged link between Actos and bladder cancer. Within the first five years of a ten-year study by Takeda Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of Actos, researchers found that patients taking Actos for more than one year had a 40 percent increased risk of developing bladder cancer compared to patients taking other diabetes drugs. In addition, the study undertaken by Takeda Pharmaceuticals found that the longer a patient takes Actos, or the higher the dosage prescribed, the greater his or her risk of adverse health effects. ("The use of pioglitazone and the risk of bladder cancer in people with type 2 diabetes: nested case-control study," The British Medical Journal. Published May 2012. http://www.bmj.com/content/344/bmj.e3645)
“While the first Actos cases move through the legal system, countless other Americans who may have serious illnesses because of taking Actos are watching carefully in anticipation of their own potential legal action,” said Russell Budd, co-founder and managing shareholder of Baron and Budd.
Actos has carried a warning citing the drug’s increased risk for heart failure on its label for years; however, the FDA only announced the link between long-term Actos use and bladder cancer in 2011. Many patients who took Actos to control their blood sugar levels believe that they should have known about the link between Actos and bladder cancer sooner. (HealthDay News, June 16, 2011, http://health.usnews.com/health-news/diet-fitness/diabetes/articles/2011/06/16/diabetes-drug-actos-may-raise-risk-for-bladder-cancer-fda)
If you or someone you know has taken Actos and suffered serious health problems, contact our Actos lawyers today at 1.866.844.4556 or email the attorneys at info(at)baronbudd(dot)com. To learn more about Baron and Budd and Actos lawyers, visit the firm’s website here: http://baronandbudd.com/areas-of-practice/unsafe-drugs-and-medical-devices/actos-lawyer/.
The attorneys at Baron and Budd have been Protecting What’s Right for consumers for more than 35 years. Over the years, the firm has built a successful track record representing people who have been harmed by corporate wrongdoing. The firm’s pharmaceutical lawyers recently represented over 7,000 patients harmed by the drug Avandia. The firm currently represents a number of states in litigation against manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline (In Re: Avandia Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation). Previously, Baron & Budd played a prominent role in litigation related to the diet drug Fen-Phen. As a result, the case settled for an amount valued at more than $1.275 billion (In re Diet Drugs (Phentermine | Fenfluramine | Dexfenfluramine) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 1203 (E.D. Pa.).