Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. has agreed to a $2.4 billion settlement to resolve bladder cancer claims. The claims centered around its Type 2 diabetes drug, Actos. The settlement will compensate an anticipated 9,000 claimants who filed federal and state lawsuits alleging they had bladder cancer after taking Actos, says Beasley Allen lawyer Andy D. Birchfield, head of the firm’s Mass Torts Section. He served on the Plaintiffs Steering Committee for the Actos multidistrict litigation (MDL), and was a signatory for the settlement agreement.
The settlement follows a record-setting $9 billion jury verdict one year ago in the MDL bellwether case before Judge Rebecca F. Doherty, overseeing the consolidated litigation in the United States District Court, Western District of Louisiana. The lead trial lawyer, in that case, was Mark Lanier from Houston, Texas.
“This is a great settlement for Actos claimants, and I am excited that victims will receive good, fair compensation for their injuries. This settlement program has been carefully constructed to fairly compensate claimants based upon the extent of their injuries and their cumulative exposure to Actos, taking into account other risk factors that could have contributed to their injuries. This is a good day for the hundreds of Actos clients represented by Beasley Allen, and we are grateful to have been able to obtain such a positive resolution on their behalf.”
— Andy Birchfield, Mass Torts Section Head, Actos MDL Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee
In 2011, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety communication regarding the potential link between Actos and bladder cancer. The lawsuit claim was seven years after the company first discovered a link between Actos and bladder cancer.
