Duetact® Lawsuit Information

Duetact was originally approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration in 1999 for the treatment of adults with Type II diabetes mellitus.  Duetact (pioglitazone) is a drug that reduces insulin resistance in the liver, thus allowing more insulin to be absorbed and used by the body.

Diabetes is a disease highly prevalent in contemporary America, affecting as many as 25.8 million people nation-wide.[1]  In patients with diabetes, cells in the body do not receive enough insulin, a chemical necessary for the body to use glucose (sugar), the main fuel used in bodily processes.  This deficiency in diabetes is due to one two main causes, thus creating two major “types” of the disease.  In Type I Diabetes mellitus, the pancreas simply does not produce enough insulin.  This is most common in children and young adults and accounts for 5% of total diabetes cases in America.[2]

The insulin deficiency in Type II diabetes mellitus results from a problem originating in insulin receptors on the outside of certain cells in the body.  When these receptors are not perfectly formed to receive the insulin molecule or are blocked for another reason, insulin deficiency results, the body cannot use the glucose it requires, and symptoms of diabetes are expressed.

Duetact® and Bladder Cancer

Recently, a popular drug prescribed for the treatment of Type II diabetes, Duetact® (pioglitazone), has been associated with a dramatically-increased risk for bladder cancer by medical researchers around the world.  Studies demonstrating an 1.5 to 4-fold increased risk for bladder cancer such as those of the Currie et al. (2013) team and Singh et al. (2013) team have recently been substantiated by a study published by Piccinni et al. (2011) which examined all adverse events reported to the United States Food and Drug Administration associated with pioglitazone use; that study also concluding that Duetact® use dramatically increased the risk of developing bladder cancer.  The study by Piccinni et al. (2011), the widest-reaching of all studies published on the danger of Duetact® to-date, found that Duetact® raises the risk for bladder cancer by more than 400%.

Duetact® has also been associated with an increased risk for the development of other cancers due to another carcinogenic ingredient in the drug, sulfonylurea.

Sadly, though two ingredients in Duetact® have been associated time and again with an increased risk for developing cancer, the manufacturer of the drug Takeda Pharmaceuticals has failed to make adequate warnings to users about the risks associated with its product, let alone take it off the market entirely.

Duetact® Lawsuit

Takeda Pharmaceuticals has the legal responsibility to make clear warnings of all risks associated with its product and to educate its customers about the likelihood adverse events will occur.  Due to this lack of oversight, the dangers posed to so many, and the harm caused to some, a number of Duetact® bladder cancer lawsuits and Duetact® cancer lawsuits are currently being filed.    If you or a loved one used Duetact® and developed bladder cancer or another malignancy, you may be entitled to significant financial compensation with a Duetact® lawsuit.

If you have a question about Duetact® that isn’t answered here, or for a free case consultation, please feel free to contact our team of Duetact® lawyers by phone at (855) 452 – 5529 or by e-mail at justinian@dangerousdrugs.us.

We have the experience, resources, and skills required to fight even the largest pharmaceutical manufacturers and secure the justice you deserve.  Call today and see how we can help.

Also, every post we’ve written about Duetact is available here.


[1] “Diabetes Statistics – American Diabetes Association” American Diabetes Association © 1995-2013 American Diabetes Association. Available at <http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/diabetes-statistics/> Accessed 11 April 2013

[2] Ibid.