Lilly to pay reduced punitive damages in bladder cancer trial

Eli Lilly and Company, makers of amyloid PET agent Amyvid, announced yesterday evening that the judge in the case of Terrence Allen, et al. v. Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America, Inc., et al, has ruled to reduce punitive damages for defendants Takeda and Lilly from $6 billion and $3 billion, respectively, down to $27.6 million and $9.2 million.

Liability has been determined as 75 percent Takeda’s and 25 percent Lilly’s.

"While we have empathy for the plaintiff, we believe the evidence did not support his claims," Lilly senior vice president and general counsel Mike Harrington said in a press release. "We will continue working vigorously to overturn the verdict."

The judge also ruled that the plaintiffs receive $1.27 million in compensatory damages.

Actos, also known as pioglitazone, is a type 2 diabetes treatment prescribed to moderate blood glucose levels. In this particular case, Allen alleged that the drug led to his bladder cancer. This trial is included in the Actos bladder cancer modern multidistrict litigation in the Western District of Louisiana.

The FDA has submitted safety advisories associated with Actos that urge physicians to weigh any potential improvement in blood sugar levels against unknown risk of cancer recurrence when prescribing this medication.