A federal judge recently scheduled the first hearing for a batch of lawsuits related to Actos, a best-selling diabetes drug that was recently linked to bladder cancer. Those suffering from Actos bladder cancer have sued the maker of the drug, Takeda Pharmaceuticals America Inc. Thousands of claims are expected from cancer patients in Arizona and around the country. The first hearing will be on March 22.

Takeda Pharmaceuticals America Inc. is owned by the Japanese corporation Takeda Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd., which recently halted its sales of Actos in some European markets. The company says that the link between its drug and bladder cancer was placed on its label when the drug was approved in 1999, but many patients appear not to have known just how strong the likelihood of cancer was.

"People should not run the risk of getting bladder cancer from treating their diabetes given the many other excellent therapies available," one attorney said.

Many of the attorneys suing Takeda Pharmaceuticals say that the company failed to fully disclose just how great the risk of cancer was and that those who take the drug for more than a year are at an increased risk for bladder cancer. Funds from the lawsuits can help compensate Actos bladder cancer sufferers for the harm that they suffered including loss of income, medical expenses, and emotional pain and suffering, among other things.

Source: Associated Press, "Judge sets 1st hearing for diabetes drug lawsuits," Feb. 14, 2012