What is the French Study that Shows Actos Causes Bladder Cancer?

This June will mark one year since the results of a French Study led German and French drug regulators to make changes with regard to the diabetes drug Actos. Throughout the year, there have been many questions about the French study finding a potential link between Actos and bladder cancer and the French and German government reaction to that study. Below are some of the questions, and answers to those questions.

Of course, the first question is what is the French study that shows Actos causes bladder cancer? The study was conducted by France’s national health insurance agency. Researchers looked at approximately 155,000 patients receiving the European equivalent of Actos and about 1.3 million people with diabetes who were not taking the drug. The study was completed in June 2011.

Other common questions include:

• Is Actos off the market? The answer is that Actos is currently off the market in France and Germany. Those actions were taken within a week of the French study’s publication. Actos remains on the market in the United States.
• How would Actos cause bladder cancer? The study did not address how Actos causes bladder cancer but rather identified what type of cancer is caused by Actos, or may be caused by Actos.

For more information about the safety of taking Actos in the United States, please talk to your doctor about your potential risks and about how best to manage your diabetes safely.