Actos Drug May Raise Risk of Bladder Cancer

Bladder cancer is a cancerous tumor in the bladder. Should the diabetes drug Actos raise the risk for bladder cancer?

In 2003, the FDA requested that Takeda, the Actos maker, conduct a safety study to assess whether therapy with this type 2 diabetes drug increases the risk of bladder cancer. At the request of the FDA, the study was planned to be conducted over 10 years. In April 2011 the authors who drafted the initial protocol and were subsequently reviewed by the FDA, revised the Actos safety study accordingly and published the results of the planned midpoint interim analysis.

When the association between bladder cancer incidence and increasing levels of Actos was revealed, exposure to the risk of bladder cancer slightly increased with increasing dose and duration of Actos use. What is wrong with this picture?

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Bladder cancer symptoms include – urine frequency, urine urgency, blood in the urine, painful urination, stomach pain, urinary incontinence, anemia and fatigue, and weight loss. These symptoms can also be the signs for other medical conditions.

Should bladder cancer be a life-threatening Actos side effect from an already life-threatening condition like type 2 diabetes?