Cueto
An East St. Louis woman is suing the makers and distributors of a diabetes medication after it allegedly caused her to have a stroke.
Captolar Dixon filed a lawsuit Aug. 27 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America Inc., Takeda Global Research & Development Center Inc., Takeda Pharmaceuticals LLC, Takeda San Diego Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceuticals International Inc. Eli Lilly and Company is also named as a defendant.
Dixon says she was prescribed the diabetes drug Actos by her physician and took the medication regularly from 1999 through 2011. Dixon claims she suffered her first stroke in January 2001, a second in August 2010 and another stroke in September 2011. All three, she contends, are directly related to her prolonged use of Actos.
Actos was designed, tested and distributed as a treatment for Type II diabetes, according to the complaint. The medication was introduced in the United States by Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America and Eli Lilly and Co. in 1999.
Dixon contends the makers knew the drug was associated with or could cause serious heart problems, including stroke, heart attack and cardiovascular disease. The plaintiff claims the defendants were negligent and deceptive in distributing a drug that could lead to life threatening injuries and failed to warn its customers about the risk.
Dixon asks more than $50,000 in damages for medical bills and the costs of the lawsuit. Her attorneys Christopher Cueto and Michael Gras of Belleville ask for a jury trial.
St. Clair County Circuit Court Case No. 12-L-448