Did you or a loved one take the diabetes drug Actos and suffer bladder cancer?

This past August, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) released a new warning for the popular diabetes drug Actos, providing that patients taking Actos for more than one year may be at an increased risk of developing bladder cancer.

The warning came after the FDA analyzed five years of data from an Actos safety study. The data is part of a 10 year study, but the FDA found cause for concern when it determined that the risk of bladder cancer was 40 percent higher for patients who had been taking Actos for a year or more.

An additional study conducted in France found that patients taking the drug had an increased risk of bladder cancer. Earlier this year, France suspended the use of Actos, and Germany restricted Actos prescriptions, not allowing new patients to be put on the drug.

What is Actos?
Actos, generic name pioglitazone, is a thiazolidinedione used to treat patients with type 2 diabetes. Actos works to help control blood sugar levels by increasing the body's sensitivity to insulin.

Other products that contain pioglitazone include Actoplus Met and Duetact.

FDA's Recommendations for Patients Taking Actos
If you are currently taking Actos to manage diabetes, the FDA recommends that you talk with your doctor before discontinuing use of the drug. Patients who have active bladder cancer should not take Actos. Where patients have had a prior history of bladder cancer, doctors should proceed with caution in prescribing Actos.

Symptoms of Bladder Cancer
Some of the most common symptoms associated with bladder cancer include blood in the urine or red-colored urine, an urgent need to urinate or pain urinating, and pain in the back or lower abdomen. If you experience any of these symptoms, you should contact your health care provider immediately.

Other symptoms of bladder cancer include the following:

Abdominal pain
Bone pain or tenderness
Fatigue
Urine leakage
Weight loss

Bladder cancer can spread to nearby body parts, including the prostate, rectum, ureters, uterus, and vagina.

Actos' History
When Actos first came onto the market, doctors praised the drug for its ability to control blood sugar, to boost the effectiveness of other diabetes drugs, and to allow patients to reduce their number of daily insulin injections.

Takeda Pharmaceuticals Company, the maker of Actos, received a huge bump in its profits after popular diabetes drug Avandia was banned in the European Union and restricted in the United States. In 2006, sales of Actos totaled $2.9 billion, but rose to more than $4.3 billion in 2010, making Actos the world's best-selling diabetes drug.

Between January 2010 and October 2010, an estimated 2.3 million patients filled prescriptions for products containing pioglitazone. If these patients continue to take the drug for one year or longer, the studies indicate that they will have a 40 percent increased chance of developing bladder cancer.

Know Your Legal Rights
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with bladder cancer while taking Actos, you deserve to know your legal rights. Prescription drug manufacturers have a duty to ensure that their products are safe for use in patients like you. Call Van Wey Law today at (214)329-1350 or (800)489-5082 to speak with a knowledgeable dangerous drug attorney.

Don't hesitate to contact Kay Van Wey at (800)489-5082 for a free, no obligation consultation.

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