Actos Lawyers: Takeda Put Profits Above Public Safety

September 10, 2013 — In the second Actos lawsuit to go before a jury in federal court, Bloomberg reports that lawyers allege that drug-maker Takeda Pharmaceuticals put profits above public safety by failing to warn about the increased risk of bladder cancer.

The plaintiff in the lawsuit is Diep An, a Vietnamese immigrant and former U.S. Army translator who took Actos to treat type-2 diabetes beginning in 2007. He was diagnosed with bladder cancer in September 2011 and died in January 2012.

According to Stuart Simms, the lawyer for An’s family:

“The bladder cancer that caused Diep An’s death can be linked directly to his use of Actos.”

Actos Bladder Cancer Safety Concerns

Lawyers allege that Takeda knew about the risk of bladder cancer in 2005, but did not issue a warning for another six years. During that time, sales of Actos grew to $4.5 billion by March 2011 and made up 27% of Takeda’s total revenue, according to Bloomberg estimates.

Sales of Actos declined dramatically in 2011, soon after the drug was pulled off the market in France and Germany. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviewed company-sponsored adverse event data and found an increased risk of bladder cancer.

Judge Vacates $6.5 Million Actos Lawsuit Jury Award

Takeda is facing over 3,000 Actos lawsuits. More than 1,200 are consolidated in a federal Multi-District Litigation (MDL) in Louisiana. In April 2013, a jury in California awarded $6.5 million to Jack and Nancy Cooper, plaintiffs in the first Actos lawsuit to go to trial. In May, a judge vacated the jury’s decision. Lawyers for Cooper’s family are appealing the judge’s decision.

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