French Actos risk not seen with other diabetes drugs, and only in bladder cancer
This article was originally published in Scrip
Executive Summary
Not long after the furore over its tardy withdrawal of Servier's antidiabetic Mediator, the French medicines regulator Afssaps has now said it will suspend Takeda's diabetes drugs Actos and Competact, both formulated with pioglitazone. The move follows results of a French study indicating an increased risk of bladder cancer but comes before the European Medicines Agency has concluded its own benefit:risk review of the drugs. The Japanese drug regulator had not taken any action over Actos by close of business on 10 June, but Germany's Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices has announced that it has suspended the use of the drug.