Las Vegas trial centers on diabetes drug Actos

Billions of dollars are at stake in a Las Vegas trial that centers on two men who were diagnosed with bladder cancer after taking the diabetes drug Actos.

"When it comes to our medicines, we have the right to know the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth," attorney Robert Eglet told jurors Thursday. "And that's what this case is about."

Eglet represents Mary Iorio, the widow of Maurice Iorio, who once worked as a bailiff in Clark County District Court. Mary Iorio filed a product liability case in the same court in March 2014 against Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., the Japanese company that makes Actos, and the company's American subsidiaries.

The lawsuit claims Maurice Iorio, 74, died in November 2013 from complications of bladder cancer caused by the prescription drug pioglitazone, made by Takeda makes under the trade name Actos.

Iorio's case was consolidated with a case filed in June 2013 by George Decou, who also was diagnosed with bladder cancer after taking Actos.

Thousands of plaintiffs across the country have filed product liability lawsuits against Takeda. The company is accused of failing to inform consumers and medical professionals about the risk of bladder cancer associated with the use of Actos, which went on sale in the United States in 1999.

In 2011, the Food and Drug Administration issued a safety announcement stating that use of Actos for more than one year may be associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer.

Last year, a Clark County District Court jury ruled in favor of Takeda in a case involving two women who claimed Actos had caused them to develop bladder cancer. Eglet represented one of those women.

District Judge Jerry Wiese II, who is presiding over the current trial, told jurors that Takeda had intentionally destroyed information related to the case and that they could presume the information would have benefited the plaintiffs. The judge presiding over last year's trial gave a similar instruction.

During his opening statement Thursday, Eglet said Takeda destroyed the hard drives of eight key company executives after being told to preserve the information they contained.

"Takeda has prevented you from knowing the whole truth about the diabetic drug Actos," Eglet told jurors.

The lawyer accused Takeda of putting profits over product safety and said the company "continues to hide the whole truth about this drug."

Lawyers for the plaintiffs have indicated they plan to seek a $2 billion verdict.

The defense is expected to present its opening statement to the jury Friday. The trial is expected to last several weeks.

Last year, a Louisiana jury ordered Takeda to pay $6 billion in punitive damages in a case involving Actos.

Contact reporter Carri Geer Thevenot at cgeer@reviewjournal.com or 702-384-8710. Find her on Twitter: @CarriGeer