Dallas Actos Cancer Risk May Be Higher than Previously Admitted

A whistleblower lawsuit against Actos maker Takeda Pharmaceuticals has revealed additional Actos cancer risks for type-2 diabetes patients who have used the drug for a year or longer.

Actos Once Thought to be Safer than Avandia
Today, more than 25.8 million Americans are dealing with type-2 diabetes, a number that is expected to increase as the U.S. population eats more processed foods that are filled with sugar. When diabetes drug Avandia was sharply restricted in the United States because it was found to cause heart attacks, Actos soared in popularity. Takeda marketed Actos as a safer alternative to Avandia, and Actos became the best-selling diabetes drug in the United States.

But in 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety communication warning that Actos patients were reporting developing bladder cancer while on the diabetes drug. A former employee of Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Helen Ge, says that Takeda knew of the Actos cancer risk, but refused to report it to the FDA.

Whistleblower Lawsuit Exposes Actos Cancer Risk
Dr. Helen Ge was an independent contractor for Takeda when she found additional Actos cancer cases that Takeda had not reported to the FDA. When Ge wanted to report the link between Actos and several forms of cancer, she was fired.

Her whistleblower lawsuit against Takeda has been filed in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts under U.S. ex rel. Helen Ge v. Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. On February 24, U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor, who is presiding over the whistleblower lawsuit, issued an order to have the lawsuit unsealed, releasing to the public the allegation that Takeda knew of the Actos cancer risk and encouraged its workers to downplay the risks associated with Actos.

Despite the link between Actos and several forms of cancer, including pancreatic cancer, bladder cancer, blood cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, lymphoma, renal cancer, and gastrointestinal cancer, Ge says she was asked to change her professional opinion about Actos side effects to downplay the cancer risk.

Actos Cancer Lawsuits
Actos bladder cancer lawsuits have been filed across the country, claiming Takeda failed to warn consumers of the risk of developing bladder cancer while taking the drug. The FDA is currently assessing Actos studies, but has yet to take the drug off the market. Experts estimate that as many as 10,000 Actos users will come forward with reports of cancer. To learn more about the secrets of pharmaceutical companies like Takeda, download my free book Prescription Drug Safety: 7 Secrets the Pharmaceutical Industry Does NOT Want You to Know at www.vanweylaw.com.

If you or a loved one took Actos for a year or longer and developed bladder cancer, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. Dallas Actos attorney Kay Van Wey may be able to help you fight the pharmaceutical company to get the compensation you deserve. Call Van Wey Law today at (214) 329-1350 or (800) 489-5082 to learn more about Actos cancer and your legal rights.