Hundreds of thousands of patients who claim there is a linkage between Actos^® and bladder cancer are currently filing lawsuits against Japan’s largest drug maker, Takeda Pharmaceuticals.

Actos (pioglitazone) was first introduced in July of 1999 and was designed to aid the body’s sensitivity to insulin in patients that have been diagnosed with type II diabetes. Since its release, Actos became Takeda Pharmaceuticals best-selling drug with record sales of $4.3 billion in 2010.

However, a number of reported bladder cancer cases began to surface, causing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to get involved in 2010. Accusations were made against Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Japan’s largest drug maker, stating that taking the popular Actos drug causes bladder cancer when taken for long periods of time, 12 months or more. In September of 2010, FDA officials released information regarding an on-going ten year study of Actos linking the drug to bladder cancer when taken for long periods of time. By August of 2011, new warning labels for Actos were approved by the FDA. These new warning labels include the dangers associated with taking Actos for 12 months or more.

The first Actos lawsuit was filed on July 29^th, 2011with accusations that the company did not thoroughly research the medication nor did it properly warn about the risks associated with long term use.

Currently, Takeda Pharmaceuticals is aware of 54 cases in the United States which all claim that Actos causes bladder cancer; however that number is expected to rise as more victims come forth in complaints against the company.

The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation met on December 1, 2011 in an oral hearing regarding consolidation for Actos bladder cancer lawsuits. Currently no reports have been released regarding final decisions. If an MDL is approved then all cases will go before the same judge. Any additional cases that are reviewed and filed would also be transferred to the same judge as well.