With 2,600 Lawsuits Pending in Actos MDL, Status Conference Cancelled

With nearly 2,600 cases now pending in the multidistrict litigation (MDL) involving diabetes drug Actos, the number of federal cases against the drug’s manufacturer Takeda Pharmaceuticals has nearly doubled during the last eight months. In March 2013, only 1,349 cases were consolidated to the U.S. District Court, Western District of Louisiana, but the most recent statistics report from the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) shows that as of October 17, 2013, 587 actions are now pending.

Use of the diabetes medication Actos may be associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer.

The next monthly status conference scheduled for November 21, 2013 has been cancelled, according to the federal court’s website. Instead, the court will hold a telephone conference on the same day beginning at 3:00 p.m. central time. Attorneys for both parties have been preparing materials for bellwether trials during recent monthly conferences, according to court documents.

Plaintiffs claim they developed bladder cancer after taking Actos. They accuse the company of concealing its knowledge of the risks associated with the drug and failing to provide adequate warnings to physicians and patients. In June 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a safety announcement where the agency warned the public that “use of the diabetes medication Actos for more than one year may be associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer.”