Two types of diabetes mellitus are medically known at present.  When a human body lacks insulin, he is suffering from Type 1 diabetes which can be cured by the introduction of insulin through injection.  When body cells reject insulin, the medical condition is a Type 2 diabetes which can be cured through treatments for increased insulin productions by internal organs or increased sensitivity to insulin.   Type 2 diabetes is attempted to be fought by derivative compounds of thiazolidinediones.

            A drug, thiazolidinediones (TZD), is approved only for use against type 2 diabetes.   Rosiglitazone (Avandia), Pioglitazone (Actos) and Troglitazone (Rezulin) are three drugs that were formulated to cure this kind of diabetes.  Avandia, by GlaxoSmithKline, was recalled in the United States due to risk exposure to cardiovascular ailments.   Sold and formulated by Parke-Davis was Rezulin which was subsequently withdrawn from the market due to risks to hepatitis.   Due to the recall of Avandia and Rezulin, Actos rose up as the main medication for diabetic patients which led Actos to place as a bestseller in the medical market.

            Actos bladder cancer was academically investigated by Takeda Pharmaceutical.   In September 2010, the US Food and Drug Administration conducted a review of the pioglitazone drug in response to the study made by Takeda.

            Although no recall was made by the US-FDA on Actos, several consumer complaints on bladder-cancer against the pioglitazone drug arose.  Its hazardous side effects became prevalent among diabetes patients.  Actos’s grossed sales in the previous years.   Thus, prescriptions were on a constant high for Actos among diabetic patients.  As an expected consequence, number of complaints accumulated for Actos bladder cancer.