New York City Actos Lawyer

Actos and the Drug Industry

Millions of dollars are spent each year developing and promoting drugs to treat a multitude of diseases, ailments and symptoms. As industry that shows no signs of slowing down, those in pharmaceuticals have their work cut out for them. Not only do new drugs serve as a testing and proving ground for budding scientists and manufacturers, they also serve as the topic of many lawsuits. Take Actos for example, a drug originally prescribed to prevent Type 2 Diabetes, which has now been linked to bladder cancer.

So alarming is the association with the development of bladder cancer in connection to Actos use that the drug has been pulled from the market in multiple countries including France on June 9, 2011; and, on June 15, 2011 the United States Food and Drug Administration released an announcement that, the use of Actos for a period of time that, extends “more than one year” could be associated with increased risk of bladder cancer, which prompted the mandate for Takeda Pharmaceuticals to alter its warning label.

The History of Actos

Actos (pioglitazone) is a prescription medication from Takeda Pharmaceuticals, in a class known as thiazolidinediones (TZDs), which functions as an anti-hyperglycemia stimulus in connection with patients suffering from Type II Diabetes, also known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Essentially, when taking Actos to treat Type II Diabetes, the drug lowers the patient’s blood glucose level. Actos was among the ten best-selling drugs in the United States in 2008; however, despite that market success, its mass-prescribing has come with negative results, including a relationship between Actos and bladder tumors.

Prior to the connection with bladed cancer and tumors, Actos was found to contribute to, and severely exacerbate, congestive heart failure. In fact, from the start, patients who took Actos were monitored for heart irregularities. In 2010, a whistleblower lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court of Massachusetts against Takeda to properly rectify or report cases of congestive heart failure in the FDA database for those using Actos. The plaintiff filed an additional complaint in the same court in 2011 later that year. The same whistleblower filed an amended complaint in the same court. Later, the French Agency for the Safety of Health Products discovered a significant increase in bladder cancer in those being treated for Type 2 Diabetes who were using Actos, compared to patients who were using other drugs to treat Type 2 Diabetes. The drug was approved for sale in 1999 after only one year of use. Currently, Taneka is facing upwards of 3,000 lawsuits.

How Does Actos Work?

Actos functions by stimulating a peroxisome proliferator in a selective manner, which modulates insulin-sensitive gene transcription in connection to control of glucose metabolism in, among other things, a patient’s liver. The net effect is a reduction of the amount of glucose, as well as insulin and glycated hemoglobin, in the patient’s blood.

A Claim Against Actos

Consumers can bring a claim against a drug manufacturer if significant debilitating or life-threatening conditions or side effects are experienced, as well as the discovery of undisclosed side effects by the government or other regulatory entities. In personal injury law, these claims can be found in the form of defective products, negligence, misrepresentation, medical malpractice, and fraud.

Whenever taking a new drug, the consumer can advocate for his or her own health and safety by informing a primary health care provider or pharmacist of any allergic reactions to drugs or supplements, as well as notifying a physician when experiencing any other symptoms, side effects or irregularities in bodily functions.

Risks with Actos

Your family physician should be aware of any symptoms and use caution when prescribing any new drug. In addition, a good family physician will advise and warn you of further possible side effects of Actos and any reactions it may have with other drugs or supplements.

General side effects that accompany Actos use include muscle aches, headache, sore throat, sinus pain, and weight gain. Its admitted severe side effects including bone fractures of female patients, severe swelling, and congestive heart failure. Other side effects include red or painful urination, difficulty breathing, swelling of the mouth, face, lips and tongue, as well as unexplainable nausea, vomiting, and visual troubles.

As with any drugs, the consumer should be warned about side effects particularly if pregnant, taking other drugs susceptible to allergies, liver problems and other medications, as many will have negative interactions with Actos. Users of any drug, including Actos, should be warned to never skip a dose of a prescribed medication. If a dose is skipped, it should be advised to never take two doses at once, and be sure to notify your doctor of any inconsistencies in its ingestion.

If you have experienced any of the above side effects while taking Actos, you may want to seek legal advice of Finz & Finz, P.C., who can help you determine the components to put together a case for defective drugs, medical malpractice, negligence or product liability.

Legal Help for Actos Users

Instead of taking on legal issues by yourself when dealing with physicians who may have prescribed Actos, your best course of action is to contact a law firm that specializes in defective drug cases. The Finz & Finz, P.C. team consists of defective drug attorneys renowned for achieving desirable results in defective drug lawsuits. The lawyers and paralegals at the firm are standing by to answer your questions about Actos and other faulty drugs.

If you or a loved one have used Actos for over one year and are diagnosed with bladder cancer, contact a New York City defective drug attorney at Finz & Finz, P.C., now at (855) TOP-FIRM or complete the Free Actos Case Evaluation form to find out how Finz & Finz, P.C., can help you.