Takeda pulls two diabetes drugs off French market

OSAKA, Japan — Two diabetes drugs made by Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. have been pulled from the market in France due to evidence that their use may increase the risk of bladder cancer, Takeda said.

Takeda said its French subsidiary, Laboratoires Takeda, would withdraw Actos (pioglitazone) and Competact (pioglitazone and metformin). In addition, Takeda said it was cooperating with the European Medicines Agency in a pan-European of pioglitazone. Competact is marketed in the United States under the brand name Actoplus Met.

In June, the Food and Drug Administration warned that use of pioglitazone for more than one year could be associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer, and the agency said information about the risk would be added to the labeling of products containing the drug, which remains available in the United States.