Actos (pioglitazone) was first introduced in July of 1999 and was designed to aid the body’s sensitivity to insulin in patients that have been diagnosed with type II diabetes. Since its release, Actos became Takeda Pharmaceuticals best-selling drug with record sales of $4.3 billion in 2010, marking it as one of the top-ten best-selling drugs in the United States.

However, interim data from an ongoing 10 year study found that users who take the drug are at an increased risk of developing bladder cancer the longer the drug is taken. This led to an investigation by the Food and Drug Administration in 2010. Since then, many Actos lawsuits have been filed against Takeda Pharmaceuticals.

All federal Actos lawsuits have been transferred to one judge for coordinate pre-trial proceedings as ordered by the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation. On December 29^th, 2011 the panel of federal judges made the decision to centralize Actos litigation before U.S. District Judge Rebecca F. Doherty in the Western District of Louisiana.

There were many disagreements regarding the location for centralized Actos litigation prior to the final decision. According to the panel of judges, nationwide Actos litigation did not have a strong pull to one district over another. The purpose for consolidating all Actos cases into a multidistrict litigation prevents duplicative discovery along with contradictory rulings by different judges during pretrial legislation.

Currently, only 11 Actos lawsuits are included in the order, but it is possible that hundreds more may be added. Each claim makes similar allegations that use of Actos for a long period of time (12 months or more) causes bladder cancer. Takeda Pharmaceuticals is also being accused of concealing their knowledge that individuals who take Actos are at an increased risk for developing bladder cancer while failing to provide adequate warnings to consumers.