If you take the diabetes medication Actos, you may want to talk to your doctor about its links to bladder cancer
Recently, Bloomberg reported that Actos’ manufacturer Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. has offered to pay more than $2.2 billion to resolve claims that it hid the drug’s cancer risks. Currently, there are more than 8,000 lawsuits pending in state and federal courts over injury claims.
According to the news source, if plaintiff attorneys and courts approve the settlement, it will result in a payment of about $275,000 for each case. However, many legal experts said they expect the offer to be rejected due to Takeda’s liability risks—last year, a federal jury in Louisiana awarded one bladder cancer victim $9 billion in damages for his claim (the number was later reduced to $36.8 million by a judge).
Since its release in 1999, Actos has generated more than $16 billion in sales, according to Bloomberg. Interestingly, it was not until 2011 that Takeda placed a black box warning on the product to warn consumers about its cancer risks.
Discussing a Defective Drug Claim with an Attorney
As this news shows, defective drugs can lead to severe personal injuries and potential cancer risks. Through mass tort litigation, victims can hold negligent manufacturers liable on a larger scale than they normally can through individual lawsuits.
By speaking to an attorney about a defective drug, you can find out if you are eligible to receive part of any settlement or verdict against a manufacturer. To see how we have helped injury victims, review our verdicts and settlements page.
McBride, Scicchitano & Leacox, P.A. – Injury Attorneys