Pharmaceuticals are intended to treat illnesses and medical conditions and improve a patient's quality of life. Unfortunately, some medications create additional medical issues in patients, some even more serious than the underlying illness. Though almost every drug has some side effects, products with unreasonably high risks of dangerous effects should be pulled from the shelves or, at least, should adequately warn potential consumers of the risks so that they may make an educated decision about taking the drug.
Many pharmaceuticals companies in recent years seem to be more concerned with their profits than with the health and safety of the consumers who take their product. There is no excuse for selling dangerous drugs and leading Americans to believe they are safe for use. Anyone who has suffered an injury due to a dangerous drug should speak with a lawyer who understands how to handle this type of drug case.
Actos can cause severe health issues
Actos was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)1 and introduced on the drug market in 1999 to help control blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes. The drug quickly became a best-seller for manufacturer Takeda Pharmaceuticals, which sold over $3.5 billion of Actos in 2010 alone. However, numerous patients who took Actos for over one year soon began developing bladder cancer.2 Symptoms of bladder cancer include blood in the urine, painful urination, frequent urination, and pelvic or back pain. Treatments generally involve surgery to remove either the tumor or the entire bladder and chemotherapy.
Reports indicate that Takeda likely know of the bladder cancer risks as early as 2004, though the company failed to disclose the risks until 2011 to maintain profits from the drug. In 2011, the FDA required that Takeda include a warning for bladder cancer on the box. Victims who had developed bladder cancer after taking Actos soon began filing lawsuits against Takeda for failure to warn of dangerous side effects.
Bladder cancer is not the only dangerous potential side effect known to occur in patients who took Actos. Additional conditions that may develop from the drug include the following:
- Congestive heart failure
- Chronic kidney disease
- Bone fractures
- Lactic acidosis
- Liver failure
All of these side effects can be potentially dangerous and anyone suffering from these conditions after taking Actos should look into a possible legal claim against Takeda.
Contact an experienced Detroit drug injury attorney to discuss a potential case
If you are suffering from unnecessary bladder cancer from taking Actos or from any other medical condition as a result of dangerous pharmaceuticals, you should not delay in calling an experienced drug injury attorney to discuss how you can recover from the responsible manufacturer. Taking on large pharmaceutical corporations in a lawsuit is not simple, however, so you always want to ensure you have an attorney who has the skill and resources needed to face such an adversary. The attorneys at Michigan Injury Lawyers are committed to helping injured victims receive full compensation from drug companies. We offer free consultations, so call our office at (888)-454-0801 today.
References:
1http://www.fda.gov/
2http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bladder-cancer/basics/definition/con-20027606