U.S. Court Fines Takeda, Lilly $9 billion Over Diabetes Drug Safety

Japanese drug giant Takeda Pharmaceutical has vowed to fight a $6 billion damages award to U.S. plaintiffs who blamed its Actos diabetes drug for their bladder cancer.

The company said it "respectfully disagrees" with the judgement awarded by a jury in the state of Louisiana on Apr. 7. In the same proccedings, co-defendant Eli Lilly, which co-marketed the drug in the U.S., was ordered to pay $3 billion in damages. Other U.S. cases are still pending.

"Takeda respectfully disagrees with the verdict and we intend to vigorously challenge this outcome through all available legal means, including possible post-trial motions and an appeal," Kenneth Greisman, senior vice president and general counsel for Takeda's U.S. unit, said in a statement.

"We believe the evidence did not support a finding that Actos caused (the plaintiff's) bladder cancer. We also believe we demonstrated that Takeda acted responsibly with regard to Actos," Greisman added.

The Japanese company said judgments were entered in its favor in all three previous Actos trials. This was the first federal case to be tried as well as the first of a consolidated multidistrict litigation.

In May 2013, a U.S. judge nullified a separate jury verdict for $6.5 million against Takeda after ruling that the plaintiffs failed to offer any reliable evidence that Actos had caused cancer.

Germany and France suspended use of the drug, a multibillion dollar seller, in 2011 due to worries about a possible link to cancer.