Actos, a popular drug first approved for use in 1999 to treat Type 2 diabetes, has been linked to bladder cancer when used for more than one year. Millions of people have used the medication in the past decade, both in the U.S. and overseas. For much of that time, there were no warnings that extended use could result in bladder cancer.

Then in June of 2011, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) alerted the public to the fact that "long-term Actos users are at an increased risk for developing bladder cancer." Product liability lawsuits for the dangerous drug began to be filed by injured patients.

On December 28, 2011, more than 100 pending lawsuits regarding Phoenix Actos lawsuit attorney were transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana by the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation.

Then on January 4, 2012, a hearing was held in Los Angeles Superior Court to petition to have California Actos bladder cancer cases heard in California, not Louisiana. Judge Carl West, the coordination motion judge, granted the petition for coordination of all pending Actos litigation in California. He recommended that the case be heard in Los Angeles.

The drug manufacturer, Takeda, said it would file to have the cases moved from California to Louisiana.

Regardless of where the Actos cases are ultimately heard, you need not live in California or Louisiana to bring your claim forward and you do not need to work with a distant attorney. Actos users who developed bladder cancer can seek financial recourse through the help of a local Phoenix Actos lawsuit attorney.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle, January 5, 2011