The first Actos bladder cancer trial is under way in California, and it’s not looking good for Takeda, Asia’s largest drug manufacturer. A key witness recently testified that internal company documents show how Takeda blatantly put sales over consumer safety.

“The Product Came First”

According to Bloomberg News, Howard Greenberg, a clinical pharmacologist, told jurors in a Los Angeles, California, courtroom that, “There are multiple e-mails from different levels of Takeda management that indicate the product came first.” He was referring to e-mails from 2005 that discussed whether U.S. and European regulators would require Takeda to warn consumers about how Actos increases one’s risk of developing bladder cancer.

France has already banned Actos use, and Germany has recommended that Actos not be prescribed to new patients.

It wasn’t until 2011 that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) required Takeda to provide that warning – even though, according to Actos bladder cancer injury lawyers, the company could have done so years beforehand and prevented many serious Actos injuries and deaths.

Takeda Made Billions Of Dollars From Actos Sales

Actos quickly became the leading Type II diabetes medication prescribed in the United States when it was approved in 1999. Before the FDA required Takeda to warn consumers about the increased risk of developing bladder cancer in 2011, Actos was responsible for over $4 billion of annual revenue for the company. However, Takeda may now be forced to compensate those injured by Actos – and everyone is watching to see how this first Actos trial unfolds.

If you have been injured or had a loved one who died from Actos use, contact The Driscoll Firm, LLC, to find out whether taking legal action against the manufacturer makes sense for you and your family. Consultations are free, confidential and there is no obligation.