Actos Lawsuit Goes to Court March 13, 2014.

More than 3,000 Actos lawsuits have been filed against Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, but two finally went to trial on Monday after years of debate as to whether the diabetes medication causes bladder cancer, FiercePharma reported.

Delores Cipriano, 81, and Bertha Triana, 80, both developed the disease in 2012 after taking Actos for 14 months to two years and are suing the drug manufacturer for more than $1 billion.

"We have empathy for patients in this case, but we do not believe Actos was the cause of their condition," Takeda’s senior director of corporate communications said via emailed statement to the press. "The best science–including a 10-year study now in its final stages–shows no causal link between Actos and this disease."

Takeda seems to forget that other studies have shown a link. May 31, 2012, WebMD reported that "[p]eople who had ever taken Actos had an 83 percent increased risk of bladder cancer." The FDA has warned since 2011 that taking Actos for more than one year may cause bladder cancer. Both France and Germany banned the drug that year for that very reason, CBS News reported.

Cipriano and Triana’s trial is expected to last between eight and 10 weeks, per CBS.

If you developed bladder cancer while taking Actos, attorney Chris Mellino welcomes you to contact our Cleveland office with any questions you may have.