An Actos Multi-District Litigation (MDL) has been consolidated in Louisiana as of December 2011. The Actos MDL is being heard by U.S. District Judge Doherty in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. The MDL has been named In Re: Actos (Pioglitazone) Products Liability Litigation MDL No. 2299.
The most recent news coming from the Actos MDL regards an administrative order outlining how the MDL will be conducted. The Case Management Order, delivered on January 2, 2013, details nothing of the MDL’s purpose, but rather outlines a periodic review process. The reason for making arrangements for a periodic review is to give attorneys involved in the MDL, on both sides, the opportunity and ability to share ideas, updates, and recommendations pertaining to the how the MDL is administered.
The next Status Conference for the Actos MDL 2299 will be January 24, 2013.
Actos is a drug manufactured by Takeda Pharmaceuticals, and is prescribed to patients with type 2 diabetes. The drug was approved for use in the U.S. by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in July 1999.
According to a CBS News report from June 2011, the French Medicines Agency banned sales of Actos after reviewing data gathered in a French government funded epidemiological study demonstrated a strong link between the use of Actos and the development of bladder cancer. Soon after France banned Actos, German health officials followed suit in banning new prescriptions of the drug to diabetic patients.
In America, the FDA is continues to review the safety of Actos. Upon parsing through interim data from a 10 year study being funded by Takeda Pharmaceuticals in collaboration with Kaiser Permanente Northern California, the FDA issued an Actos safety update in August 2011 about the increased risk of developing Actos linked bladder cancer after using the drug for more than one year. Though the FDA recognizes the risks of using Actos, their safety review remains ongoing.
Signs of bladder cancer include painful urination, red colored urine, blood in urine, severe pain in the pelvic region, and frequent need to urinate. If you or a loved one is currently using Actos or has used Actos in the past to treat type 2 diabetes, and you or your loved one has experienced any of these signs of bladder cancer, it is imperative to meet with a healthcare provider immediately.
Experienced pharmaceutical product liability lawyers at Carey Danis & Lowe understand the importance of holding pharmaceutical companies like Takeda Pharmaceuticals accountable for releasing drugs onto the market whose side effects have not been fully researched. It was only after Actos was on the market, and only after reports began piling up relating to Actos bladder cancer risks, did Takeda Pharmaceuticals decide to conduct a 10 year study looking into the safety of Actos.
Lawyers at Carey Danis & Lowe seek to work closely with clients in shedding light on such negligence. For a free legal consultation about your Actos case, and for more information about filing an Actos lawsuit, contact a lawyer at Carey Danis & Lowe by calling 800.721.2519.
