Warning issued about diabetes drug Actos

Mon, 25 Jul 2011
The European Medicines Agency has warned that the Actos diabetes drug could remain on the market but with new warnings about a slight potential risk of cancer . The agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use stated that the drug, manufactured by the Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, had shown a slight increase in bladder cancer risk, although it found that the benefits from Actos and its active ingredient pioglitazone outweighed the risks for treating patients with type 2 diabetes .

They commented "These medicines remain a valid treatment option for certain patients with type 2 diabetes, " despite there being small increased risk of bladder cancer . They also said this risk can be lowered through appropriate patient selection and exclusion, such as regular reviews of how well the drug is working for different patients.

Some GPs have decided to stopped prescribing Actos and similar thiazolidinediones (TZDs), in part because there are a number of patients who are nervous about the risks.

The decision follows a similar one by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States the drug wasn't associated with an overall increased cancer risk in all patients who took it. The drug regulator in France ordered Actos to be taken off the market earlier this year, and the German regulator has also recommended the EMA suspend marketing approval for the drug in the European Union .
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