Lawyer Resources for Dangerous Drugs

When Robert Bettorf started taking Actos in 2007, he thought it might help control his Type II diabetes. Instead, he got cancer.

Bettorf is one of several people to recently come forward with allegations that Takeda Pharmaceuticals Actos drug directly causes bladder cancer. He joins Nancy Rios, 54, of Reading, Pennsylvania, who says she now faces the possibility of losing her bladder. And Tommy Thompson, of New Orleans, Louisiana, who filed suit in federal court on September 9.

Like many around the country, Bettorf says his cancer was caused by long-term exposure to Actos. Recent FDA studies have indicated that those who take Actos for 12 months or longer are at a 40 percent higher risk for developing bladder cancer.

A man with Type 2 diabetes has filed a lawsuit in federal court against the manufacturer of popular diabetes drug Actos following his development of bladder cancer after taking the drug.

The lawsuit alleges that Actos’ manufacturer, Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America (and other entities including: Takeda Global Research & Development Center Inc., Takeda Pharmaceuticals Company Ltd., Takeda Pharmaceuticals America, Takeda San Diego Inc., Takeda Pharmaceuticals International Inc and Eli Lilly and Company), was negligent for not providing any warnings regarding the increased bladder cancer risk associated with Actos use.

Connection between Actos and bladder cancer

On November 19, 2010 the FDA ordered the popular painkillers Darvocet & Darvon to be pulled from the market.

The decision to pull Darvocet & Darvon came after exhaustive studies and feedback from panels assembled by the FDA to evaluate the drugs safety. The results followed careful evaluation of advisory panel findings and data from scientific studies that concluded that the drugs should be pulled from the market because of the strong correlation to QT internal abnormalities in the heart.

In a previous post, I talked about Reglan (Metoclopramide), a drug commonly used to relieve heartburn in patients with GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) or to relieve symptoms of slow stomach emptying for people with diabetes. Well, it turns out that this drug can also cause tardive dyskinesia (TD). Tardive dyskinesia is abnormal muscle movements, mostly in the face muscles, that you have no control over. TD has no treatment, and the symptoms might not go away even you stop taking raglan.

Clearly, TD is not a minor side effect. The FDA took action requiring manufacturers of the drug to add a “black box” warning about the drug’s risks. The U.S. National Library of Medicine – National Institute of Health Website now includes an IMPORTANT WARNING in its information for metoclopramide (better known as Reglan) –

“Taking metoclopramide may cause you to develop a muscle problem called tardive dyskinesia. If you develop tardive dyskinesia, you will move your muscles, especially the muscles in your face in unusual ways. You will not be able to control or stop these movements. Tardive dyskinesia may not go away even after you stop taking metoclopramide. The longer you take metoclopramide, the greater the risk that you will develop tardive dyskinesia. Therefore, your doctor will probably tell you not to take metoclopramide for longer than 12 weeks. The risk that you will develop tardive dyskinesia is also greater if you are taking medications for mental illness, if you have diabetes, or if you are elderly, especially if you are a woman. Call your doctor immediately if you develop any uncontrollable body movements, especially lip smacking, mouth puckering, chewing, frowning, scowling, sticking out your tongue, blinking, eye movements, or shaking arms or legs.

New reports to be issued following a Senate investigation and results from a clinical trial appear to further solidify the dangers associated with Avandia (rosiglitazone).  As cited by The New York Times, the reports conclude that if Avandia patients switched to a similar diabetes drug, Actos, approximately 500 heart attacks and 300 cases of heart failure could be avoided every month.

These recent studies are just the latest in an extensive series of studies that have been critical of both the side-effects associated with Avandia and GlaxoSmithKline’s knowledge of the health risks when it aggressively marketed the drug.

The Senate investigation revealed:

In the wake yesterday’s announcement from GlaxoSmithKline that they will stop the manufacture, distribution and advertising of their well-known denture adhesive product Super PoliGrip, we have been inundated with calls from concerned clients and their families who are concerned about the health risks and their legal rights.

At the heart of the matter is zinc, a metallic chemical element, that is commonly used in everyday products from sunscreens to vitamins.  With respect to denture adhesives, like Super Poligrip and Fixodent, some recent studies have demonstrated that the zinc found in denture adhesives may leach out into the body resulting in elevated zinc levels.

Elevated zinc levels in the body are believed to be responsible for neurological problems and neuropathy.  A blood test can confirm if the zinc levels have reached toxic levels.  Unfortunately, research has also demonstrated that the effects of zinc poisoning may be permanent and irreversible.

My office frequently gets contacted by concerned family members who may be unable to specify the exact type of error and facility made, but nonetheless they have a clear belief that their loved one’s condition has changed for the worse due to improper care or taking an dangerous drug.

Recently we were contacted by the family of a lady who within several months of taking Reglan Tablets, began to develop severe muscle spasms in her face.  We soon found out that the staff physician had prescribed Reglan several months before the spasms started.

Reglan (generic name – metoclopramide) speeds up the movement of the stomach muscles, which increases the rate at which the stomach empties into the intestines. This prescription drug is used to treat gastrointestinal disorders including heartburn caused by gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), diabetic gastroparesis (stomach does not contract), and to prevent nausea and vomiting caused by cancer chemotherapy and surgery.