In 2011, a report by JD Lewis et al. titled “Risk of bladder cancer among diabetic patients treated with pioglitazone: interim report of a longitudinal cohort study.” published in Diabetes Care states “studies and limited human data suggest a possible increased risk of bladder cancer with pioglitazone therapy” and as such, this was a report “examining the association between pioglitazone therapy and the risk of bladder cancer in patients with diabetes.” (“Pioglitazone” is the chemical name for Actos.)
Patients included in this study numbered 193,099 in total, and consisted of patients from the “Kaiser Permanente Northern California diabetes registry who were ≥40 years of age between 1997 and 2002.” To make data more clear, patients who previously had bladder cancer were excluded from the study. Researchers used statistical analysis to compare patients who used Actos to patients who had not used the drug, controlling for “age, sex, race/ethnicity, diabetes medications, A1C, heart failure, household income, renal function, other bladder conditions, and smoking.”
In all, the Lewis et al. (2011) team identified 30,173 diabetic patients who had used Actos. Among them, researchers found 90 cases of bladder cancer and 791 cases among the about 160,000 non-users. Though Actos was not found to increase risk for bladder cancer in the short term, use of the drug for longer than 24 months was found to result in a 40% increased risk for bladder cancer.
Thankfully, among patients in this study, 95% of bladder cancer cases were discovered in early stages.
Due to the fact that the manufacturer of Actos has failed time and again to adequately warn users of the risk of bladder cancer, a number of Actos bladder cancer lawsuits have been filed. If you or a loved one used Actos and suffered bladder cancer, you too may be entitled to significant financial compensation. For a free, no-obligation case consultation, contact our team of Actos bladder cancer lawyers at the information provided below. We have the experience, resources, and skills required to win the justice you deserve.
(855) 452 – 5529