Daughter Claims Father Victim of Actos Bladder Cancer

On May 23, 2012, Diana Jean Taylor filed Actos litigation in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois on behalf of her father, Virgil Mason McCallister’s estate. Taylor names as defendant manufacturer Takeda Pharmaceuticals, and alleges that her father developed bladder cancer from Actos. The plaintiff claims that the defendant is responsible for McCallister’s death since the company failed to provide adequate or accurate warnings of possible side effects.

Actos litigation cites side effects studies

In January 2000, McCallister, then a resident of West Virginia, began taking Actos as long-term maintenance for his type II diabetes. According to Taylor’s Actos attorney, McCallister would never have taken the drug had he known of the associated risks and side effects. In fact, it wasn’t until June 15, 2011 that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a public safety announcement that prolonged use of Actos (pioglitazone) was associated with an elevated risk of bladder cancer. The warning was based on accumulated data and studies, among them a 10-year epidemiological study that determined that patients who had taken the medication for 12+ months had a 40% greater risk of developing bladder cancer from Actos.

Father passes away of bladder cancer from Actos

Unfortunately, McCallister was unaware of this information when he filled his first Actos prescription 11 years prior. After allegedly suffering from the side effects of Actos, including bladder cancer, McCallister passed away on November 18, 2009. He was survived by his wife, Lillie McCallister, and four adult children, including the plaintiff Diana Jean Taylor.

Actos attorney alleges concealment of knowledge

In 2005, a study into the cardiovascular side effects of Actos discovered a “statistically significant” risk of bladder cancer in patients taking Actos over those on similar medication. This information, however, was not published. Due to this, and other similar acts, Plaintiff Taylor’s complaint states that the, “Defendants withheld the knowledge of increased risk of cancer in users of Actos to prevent any chances of their product’s registrations being delayed or rejected by FDA.” Taylor is not the only plaintiff to make these claims; in fact, federal Actos litigation was centralized into the Western District of Louisiana on December 29, 2011.

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