Takeda Prevails in Latest Actos Lawsuit
In ongoing litigation over the safety of its diabetes drug Actos (pioglitazone HCl), Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and its wholly owned subsidiary, Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc., report that in the case of the Whitlatch v. Takeda , the jury found in favor of Takeda. The trial began on April 21, 2014 in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, before Judge Deborah Dooling and is the fifth Actos case to reach trial.
Takeda prevailed in three previous Actos trials and is challenging the outcome of the fourth. In that case, Terrence Allen, et al. v. Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc., et al. regarding claims that Actos contributed to a patient’s bladder cancer, the jury in a federal district court in Louisiana found in favor of the plaintiffs and awarded $1.475 million in compensatory damages. The allocation of liability was 75% Takeda and 25% Eli Lilly. The jury also awarded $6 billion in punitive damages from Takeda and $3 billion from co-defendant, Eli Lilly. Eli Lilly co-promoted Actos with Takeda from 1999 to 2006.
With respect to the recent verdict in which Takeda was successful, the company issued the following statement. “We empathize with the Whitlatch family but agree with the verdict,” said Kenneth D. Greisman, senior vice-president and general counsel at Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc,, in a press statement. “Takeda is confident in the therapeutic benefits of Actos and its importance as a treatment for Type 2 diabetes. Patient safety is a critical priority for Takeda. We believe that we have acted responsibly with regard to Actos and plan to vigorously defend the company against future lawsuits of this type.”
Source: Takeda