ACTOS

Product

Actos (pioglitazone)
Actoplus Met (pioglitazone and metformin HCI)
Actoplus Met XR (pioglitazone and metformin HCI)
Duetact (pioglitazone and glimepiride)

Drug Class

Glitazone

Indication for Use

Anti-diabetic

Injuries

Bladder cancer

About

Actos, Actoplus Met, Actoplus Met XR and Duetact, and its generic form, Pioglitazone, belong to a class of drugs known as Glitazones, which are prescribed for the treatment of Type 2, adult-onset diabetes.

Actos was developed by Takeda Pharmaceuticals and has been marketed in the United States by Eli Lilly and Takeda. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Actos in July 1999. However, since that time evidence has shown that Actos and other Glitazones cause injuries including bladder cancer and other serious health problems.

In September 2010, the FDA reviewed Takeda’s 10-year study on Actos and bladder cancer, and as a result, in June 2011, the FDA required an official warning about bladder cancer be included in the drug information.

In December 2011, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) created an Actos Multi District Litigation (MDL) transferring existing and future federal lawsuits to Judge Rebecca F. Doherty of the U. S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana (MDL No. 2299). In 2012, California created Judicial Council Coordinated Proceeding (JCCP) 4696 in Los Angeles Superior Court before Judge Kenneth Freeman.