Actos and Bladder Cancer

A commonly prescribed diabetes drug called Actos (pioglitazone) has been linked to an increased risk of bladder cancer. A year ago the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning that this drug might raise a person’s chance of developing bladder cancer. Now researchers have found data that confirm this concern.
The investigators reviewed records from more than 60,000 people with type 2 diabetes in the United Kingdom. Those who took Actos were two to three times more likely to be diagnosed with bladder cancer compared to those taking other antidiabetes drugs. Although the drug was banned in France and Germany last year, it remains a popular treatment in the United States.
[Journal of the National Cancer Institute, online Aug. 9, 2012]