Actos Bladder Cancer Lawsuits to See First Hearing, Kershaw, Cutter & Ratinoff Reports

    SACRAMENTO, CA, February 24, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Kershaw, Cutter & Ratinoff reports that the first of many hearings regarding the popular diabetes drug, Actos, has been scheduled to take place in Lafayette, Louisiana under U.S. District Judge Rebecca Doherty. The status conference will take place March 22, 2012, after which lead attorneys will be appointed for the consolidated cases.

According to an ongoing study involving more than 193,000 diabetes patients over the age of 40, those who took Actos to treat their diabetes for more than a year had a 40 percent higher risk of developing bladder cancer. Both France and Germany have halted sales of the drug since that news was published.

Kershaw, Cutter & Ratinoff filed suit* in November 2011 in Napa County Superior Court on behalf of a man who took Actos for a period of three years and subsequently was diagnosed with bladder cancer. The complaint alleges that Takeda knew about the link between Actos and bladder cancer, yet failed to warn patients. It is one of the Actos lawsuits being coordinated in the Louisiana Superior Court.

Thousands of other similar lawsuits are anticipated to be filed against Takeda Pharmaceuticals due to Actos' alleged associated risk for bladder cancer.

"This is another example of a dangerous drug that potentially creates an entirely new problem on top of the disease it treats," says Brooks Cutter, Kershaw, Cutter & Ratinoff partner and consumer protection advocate. "There are a number of other successful treatment options for diabetes. Quite simply, this drug should not be used."

The pharmaceutical lawyers at Kershaw, Cutter & Ratinoff encourage diabetes patients who have taken Actos for a year or more to contact a product liability attorney to discuss their rights. They note that many states restrict patients from pursuing legal action for certain time limits after discovering their medical product's potential for harm, so action should not be delayed.

For more information, send an email to Kershaw, Cutter & Ratinoff or visit their website at www.kcrlegal.com.

Kershaw, Cutter & Ratinoff represents plaintiffs in a wide range of personal injury lawsuits, pharmaceutical injury lawsuits and complex litigation. They have demonstrated their ability to devote substantial resources to lawsuits involving large corporations, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in recoveries for their clients and the classes they have represented.

*Rochester v. Takeda Pharmaceuticals America, Inc., et al., No. 26-57618 filed 11/15/2011 in Napa County Superior Court, California.

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