Actos (Pioglitazone) Diabetes Drug May Increase Bladder Cancer Risk Warns FDA

Patients using the diabetes medication Actos (pioglitazone), manufactured by Takeda, for more than one year may have an increased risk of bladder cancer, states an FDA review of data from an epidemiological study.

The FDA warning comes just days after France suspended the use of pioglitazone and Germany  recommended not to start pioglitazone in new patients.

According to the review, the increased risk of bladder cancer was observed among patients who took the diabetes medication for the longest time and in the highest cumulative dose.

Actos is not the only diabetes medication to make recent headlines for safety warnings; last year, Avandia (rosiglitazone), another diabetes drug primarily used to help people with type 2 diabetes control blood sugar levels, was severely restricted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. due to concerns of an increased risk of heart attack.

The FDA recommends that healthcare professionals should continue to follow the recommendations in the drug label when prescribing the diabetes drug Actos, and that patients should continue taking Actos unless they are told otherwise by their healthcare professional.

If you’ve suffered severe side-effects from the diabetes drugs Actos (pioglitazone) or Avandia, our defective drug lawyers may be able to help you pursue a claim for compensation. To learn more about your legal rights, call (888) 444-8508.