Massive class action suit launched against pharmaceutical company
Recently, a California law firm has filed a class action lawsuit against Takeda Pharmaceuticals, a massive drug corporation, on behalf of the surviving family members of five people who died after taking Actos, a drug used to treat diabetes that was distributed by Takeda. The lawsuit joins 115 other cases already filed regarding the same manner. The lawsuit alleges that the use of Actos caused bladder cancer and eventual death in patients, and it alleges that Takeda negligently placed a defective product on the market. The suit alleges that Takeda knew or should have known about the risk of bladder cancer due to use of Actos, but instead knowingly allowed a defective product to cause the deaths of five people.
There is ample scientific evidence to link usage of Actos to the development of bladder cancer. In June 2011, a French study done on Actos found a statistically significant link between Actos use and bladder cancer, which led to the drug being taken off the market in France and Germany. A safety warning was issued for the drug in Canada, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a similar safety warning concerning the likelihood of bladder cancer occurring after using Actos for over 12 months.
Unsafe products have great potential to kill or do harm to unsuspecting consumers. Whether it is due to a defect in the design of the product or to a defect in the actual product itself, unsafe products are a major threat to consumers. They can do tremendous damage to one’s financial and emotional health, because there are the considerations of medical bills and lost wages, as well as the emotional toll of seeing a loved one or family member hurt by a product intended to help or to entertain them.
Loved ones or family members of those injured by defective products are entitled to receive relief in the form of monetary damages. They may file a wrongful death lawsuit against the guilty corporation, and if their suit is successful, they may recover damages for the pain and suffering endured, as well as for lost wages and medical bills. Anyone affected by a defective product has a means of legal recourse.
Source: Equities.com, “California Actos Bladder Cancer Lawsuits Reaches 115,” Oct. 4, 2012