The European agency responsible for regulating medications recently acknowledged that despite an increased risk of developing bladder cancer, pioglitazone, also known as Actos, still remains a option for certain patients. In the report, the European Medicines Agency has recommended that the drug is used “only when certain other treatments (metfomin) have not been suitable or failed to work adequately.”

The governments of Germany and France have already suspended sales of Actos. France has issued a recall, while Germany suspended sales of the drug in July of this year.

Meanwhile, in the United States the FDA has issued a safety alert and a judicial panel is currently considering the consolidation of the dozens of lawsuits already filed against Takeda Pharmaceuticals for failing to warn users of the serious health risks, including kidney and bladder cancer.