Actos

Much like Avandia, Actos is perscribed for Type 2 (adult onset) diabetes. Generically known as pioglitazone, Actos belongs to a class of drugs that aim to lower blood glucose levels in patients and increase the body’s sensitivity to insulin. Actos was approved for use in 1999 and is currently one of the world’s best-selling diabetes medication.

Actos Linked to Bladder Cancer

Unfortunately, like Avandia, extended Actos use has been linked to serious health issues, such as bladder cancer. Issues connected to Actos have been such a problem for patients that the French Agency for the Safety of Health Products withdrew Actos from the market in June 2011. Also in June, Germany’s Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices advised doctors to not prescribe Actos until a further investigation of the drug could be completed.

And on June 15, shortly after France and Germany acted on Actos, the U.S. FDA issued a warning to doctors and patients that pioglitazone use for more than one year may be linked to an increased risk of bladder cancer. The FDA http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm259150.htm also required that a warning be added to the Actos label and patient Medication Guide, based on its review of an ongoing ten-year study which has shown that there may be a 40 percent increased risk of bladder cancer for patients who have taken Actos for more than one year.

Other serious side effects linked to Actos use:

• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Kidney cancer