A federal judge in Louisiana refused to overturn a massive verdict against the manufacturers of Actos stemming from the first bellwether trial for thousands of similar lawsuits.
According to Digital Journal, U.S. District Judge Rebecca Doherty in the Western District of Louisiana refused to overturn the verdict. Judge Doherty found that the jury had properly considered evidence of known increased risk for taking the Type 2 diabetes drug, about which the manufacturers failed to warn patients and doctors adequately.
Actos manufacturers Takeda Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly face more than 3,000 pending lawsuits, alleging that the companies concealed the elevated risks of patients developing bladder cancer after taking the drug for extended periods.
A jury awarded plaintiffs punitive damages and compensatory damages in the first of many trials. The bellwether trial serves as an indicator to the likely actions of juries in future Actos lawsuits against Takeda.
Actos (brand name of the oral drug pioglitazone) belongs to the drug class thiazolidinediones which are used to treat Type 2 diabetes by reducing the amount of glucose in the blood. In June 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandated changes to the Actos label after the interim results of a 10-year study indicated that patients who took Actos for more than 1 year doubled the risk of developing bladder cancer.
Since the FDA required the label change, lawsuits have been stacking up, alleging Takeda concealed information about the risk of bladder cancer from healthcare providers and patients.
Results of the bellwether trial are important as they set the tone for the future of other similar lawsuits. Anyone who has developed bladder cancer after taking Actos may be eligible to pursue compensation. To learn more, contact our defective drug lawyers.
