Takeda Pharmaceuticals, the developer of the popular diabetes medication Actos, has recently become the subject of intense scrutiny. Healthcare officials have reviewed data that lends increasing weight to the long-suspected link between Actos and bladder cancer. Accordingly, the results of numerous studies have led to the revision of Actos warning labels.
Actos was developed by Takeda Pharmaceuticals and gained the approval of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be sold in America as a type 2 diabetes medication. Upon conception, Actos has since become one of the most popular diabetes medications in the world. In the last financial year alone, Actos generated $4.8 billion in sales for Takeda Pharmaceuticals.
Actos is intended for the use of patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, a condition in which the body does not use insulin normally and therefore cannot control the amount of sugar in the blood. Pioglitazone, the active ingredient in Actos, resides in a group of medications known as thiazolidinediones. As a thiazolidinediones, pioglitazone works by increasing the body’s sensitivity to insulin, a natural substance that helps control blood sugar levels. Accordingly, Actos is able to utilize insulin in an efficient manor that assists in the regulation of blood sugar. By doing so, patients are able to combat the symptoms associated with type 2 diabetes.
Unfortunately many patients do not realize that severe Actos side effects coincide with the continual use of the diabetes medication. Patients who implement a strict regimen of Actos for more than a year may increase their risk of developing severe, life-threatening bladder cancer. The risks associated with Actos have compounded and caused healthcare officials in France to conduct their own epidemiological study. Based on their results, France has suspended the use of pioglitazone and Germany has recommended not to start pioglitazone in new patients.
New data concerning the risk of bladder cancer has been acknowledged by the FDA in a safety review and has forced Takeda Pharmaceuticals to revise their labels for Actos. Information about this risk will be added to the Warnings and Precautions section of the label for pioglitazone-containing medicines. The patient Medication Guide for these medicines will also be revised to include information on the risk of bladder cancer.
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