The most recent lawsuit alleges that the plaintiffs developed urinary and bladder issues, including bladder cancer, after they had consumed Actos and the drug is sold under the names Actoplus Met, Actoplus Met XR and Duetact.
Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Takeda Global Research & Development Center, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Takeda San Diego and Takeda Pharmaceuticals International have manufactured, designed and distributed Actos, according to the law suit.
On 5 April, the law firm, Driscoll Firm filed the first lawsuit alleging similar claims against the same group of defendants.
Driscoll has asked the Actos users to be on alert for symptoms of bladder cancer, which the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) identifies as blood or red color in urine, the urgent need to urinate, pain while urinating and pain in the back or lower abdomen.
The FDA has cleared Actos for improving control of blood sugar in adults with Type 2 diabetes mellitus.
The agency, however, issued safety information saying that the use of Actos for more than one year "may be associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer."
In June 2011, the FDA also mandated a labeling change to include information about this risk.
Image: John J. Driscoll, drug injury lawyer. Photo: Courtesy of PRWeb.