Actos Manufacturer Takeda Ordered to Pay $155k for Destruction of Evidence

On Nov. 17, a West Virginia jury decided that Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. would pay $155,000 for destroying information on its diabetes drug, Actos, after jurors concluded that this action prevented plaintiff Richard Myers from proving his claim that the medication caused his cancer.

The panel reached a decision after only three hours of deliberation. They concluded that Takeda officials purposely destroyed the Actos files to prevent information regarding its marketing and development from surfacing in the case against them.

The Martinsburg jury found that Takeda participated in a systematic destruction of important details about Actos, which could have assisted Myers in proving his claims that the drugmaker failed to adequately warn healthcare professionals and the general public about the health risks associated with the medication.

Mondays decision comes on the heels of a $2 million verdict reached in a Pennsylvania court in favor of a former Actos user who alleged the drug caused her bladder cancer. Only two weeks ago a federal judge in Louisiana upheld a punitive damage award against Takeda because of the drug.

According to Bloomberg News, 71-year-old Myers is the fifth plaintiff out of eight to take his Actos lawsuit to trial and win.

Takeda is considering an appeal, a spokesman for the company says. Thousands of lawsuits are currently pending against the manufacturer over claims similar to Myers. Multidistrict litigation has been established for 3,500 Actos cases to be heard in Lafayette, La., and another 4,500 are still in state courts throughout Illinois, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and California.

Pitman, Kalkhoff, Sicula & Dentice is currently investigating death and injury claims related to the diabetes drug Actos. If you or someone you love has suffered because of this medication, you could be entitled to compensation.

To f ind out if you have a case, call a Milwaukee personal injury attorney from PKSD at  414-333-3333 or fill out our online evaluation form for a FREE and confidential review of your claim.