Actos Bladder Cancer Allegations Attorney Locator: Resource4thePeople Cites Increase in Number of Lawsuits
San Diego, Ca (PRWEB) March 05, 2014 -- http://www.resource4thepeople.com/defectivedrugs/Actos-Bladder-Cancer-Lawsuit.html
Resource4thePeople today announced today there are new legal developments of interest to consumers following litigation* involving allegations that the use of Actos to treat diabetes can cause bladder cancer.
Among the most recent is the fact that the number of Actos lawsuits consolidated before a federal judge alleging that the diabetes medication caused victims to develop bladder cancer has now climbed to 2,889.
These figures** were provided by the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation in its latest reporting period ending Feb. 19, 2014.
The judicial panel consolidated lawsuits from across the country under the supervision of Judge Rebecca F. Doherty in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana because they share common claims against a common defendant.
"The continued increase in the number of Actos lawsuits alleging that the medication may cause bladder cancer reflects the increasing number of inquiries we are receiving from consumers seeking information about their options to seek compensation over these allegations," said Resource4thePeople.
"Therefore we will continue to provide free consultations to consumers who are inquiring about whether they are eligible to file a lawsuit in connection with these allegations and are seeking experienced, aggressive legal representation."
Resource4thePeople is also informing consumers that it will keep them abreast of the latest development in litigation involving allegations in lawsuits that Actos may cause bladder cancer.
Another development of consumer interest in this area is that jurors are continuing to hear evidence in the first federal bellwether trial*** selected from the nearly 3,000 cases in the Louisiana multidistrict litigation in Louisiana, according to the court file.
At the beginning of the trial a lawyer for man who claims he was diagnosed with cancer because of his use of Actos told jurors that the medication's manufacturers hid the risks of its Actos diabetes drug from consumers and doctors and should be held liable for the former shopkeeper’s cancer, according to a Feb. 3, 2014 Bloomberg News report.****
An attorney for the manufacturer, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, told the jury that the man's bladder cancer wasn’t caused by his Actos use and that it properly warned of about the drug’s risks, according to the news report.
The plaintiff was prescribed Actos and used the product for about seven years, from 2004 until 2011, when he was diagnosed with bladder cancer, according to the court file in the case.
Resource4thePeople has found a significant increase in consumer interest about their legal options over bladder cancer allegations after the release of a June 15, 2011 Food and Drug Administration safety announcement.*****
“The continued increase in the number of consumers inquiring about these lawsuits and the alleged Actos side effects since the FDA issued its health advisory over bladder cancer concerns shows that there are a great number of affected consumers seeking experienced, aggressive legal help,” said Resource4thePeople.
The FDA safety announcement was issued after the agency reviewed a study sponsored by Takeda Pharmaceuticals 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.”
Two other trials outside this litigation were held in 2013 in which juries returned verdicts against Takeda Pharmaceuticals involving allegations that the medication can lead to bladder cancer.
In one case a Maryland jury awarded****** 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 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.*******
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."********
The 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."
Sources:
*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-February-19-2014.pdf
***Allen v. Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, 12cv0064 U.S. District Court, Western District of Louisiana
****http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-02-03/takeda-jury-told-officials-hid-diabetes-drug-s-cancer-risks-1
***** http://www.fda.gov/drugs/drugsafety/ucm259150.htm
******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
Bill Callahan, iLawSuit, +1 858 602-2749, [email protected]
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