Diabetes Treatment - Actos (pioglitazone) Under Safety Review

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced the commencement of a safety review for Actos (pioglitazone), which is a drug used in the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. This announcement was made following a release of preliminary data from a long term study which aims to assess and evaluate the risk of bladder cancer associated with Actos (pioglitazone). Patients are not advised to discontinue the use of this drug, and are advised to contact a health care professional regarding any concerns they have about Actos (pioglitazone).

Actos (pioglitazone), which is manufactured by Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America Inc., belongs to a class of drug known as Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor (PPAR) Agonists, and is used to control blood sugar in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Although the preliminary data released from the study after five years of investigation failed to establish any links between Actos (pioglitazone) and bladder cancer, an increase in the risk of bladder cancer has been observed amongst patients who have had extended exposure to the drug, as well as high cumulative doses of the drug. Avandia (rosiglitazone), which is the only other drug that belongs to the same class of drug as Actos (pioglitazone), has never been reported as posing any risk of bladder cancer.