California Man Receives Jury Award in Actos Case

The news agency Reuters has reported that a California man was awarded $6.5 million by the jury in a case concerning the diabetes drug Actos. The plaintiff accused the drug manufacturer Takeda Pharmaceuticals of failing to warn that the drug could cause bladder cancer. The case was decided in a Los Angeles Superior Court and is one of the first in more than 3,000 pending lawsuits around the nation. 200 Actos cases have been consolidated in the California court system. Others are pending in Illinois and Louisiana.

This initial case involved a retired Pacific Bell telephone line worker who was also a military veteran. The man's case was allowed to be tried first under a California law that allows cases with grave medical conditions and less than six months to live to be advanced for trial. In this case, the man was already 79 years old with terminal bladder cancer. The trial lasted two months after which the jury awarded the ill man $5 million in damages and another $1.5 million to his wife. His lawyer considered it a major victory for both his client and other Actos victims. Takeda Pharmaceuticals has filed legal motions against the case result and is expected to appeal the decision to a higher court if their motions are denied. In 2008, Actos became the tenth best-selling drug in the U.S. with sales generating more than $2.4 billion. In 2011, the FDA announced that using the drug for more than one year may involve an increased risk of bladder cancer.

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