Pioglitazone Hcl
Brand names: Actos, Pioglitazone Hcl
At a glance
- Medicare prescriptions, 2024
- 2,731,688
- Medicare drug cost
- $35.8M
- Average cost per prescription
- $13.09
- Clinicians who prescribed it
- 70,861
Where it is prescribed
List the prescribers in any state, county, city or ZIP code →
What it is used for
Monotherapy and Combination Therapy ACTOS is indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus in multiple clinical settings. Important Limitations of Use ACTOS exerts its antihyperglycemic effect only in the presence of endogenous insulin. ACTOS should not be used to treat type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis, as it would not be effective in these settings. Use caution in patients with liver disease.
From the FDA-approved prescribing information (label dated March 2025). Full labels on DailyMed (opens in a new tab)
Boxed warning
WARNING: CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE • Thiazolidinediones, including ACTOS ®, cause or exacerbate congestive heart failure in some patients. • After initiation of ACTOS, and after dose increases, monitor patients carefully for signs and symptoms of heart failure (e.g., excessive, rapid weight gain, dyspnea, and/or edema). If heart failure develops, it should be managed according to current standards of care and discontinuation or dose reduction of ACTOS must be considered. • ACTOS is not recommended in patients with symptomatic heart failure. • Initiation of ACTOS in patients with established New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class III or IV heart failure is contraindicated. WARNING: CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE See full prescribing information for complete boxed warning. • Thiazolidinediones, including ACTOS, cause or exacerbate congestive heart failure in some patients. • After initiation of…
The FDA’s strongest warning on a label. It doesn’t mean the drug is unsafe for most people; talk to your doctor or pharmacist before stopping or changing any medicine.
Who prescribes it
- Family Medicine 39.3%
- Internal Medicine 25.9%
- Nurse Practitioners 14.2%
- Endocrinology & Diabetes 9.0%
- Physician Assistants 5.5%
- General Practice 2.7%
- Geriatric Medicine 0.8%
- Nephrology (Kidney) 0.4%
- Cardiology 0.3%
- Pharmacists 0.3%
- Hospitalist 0.2%
- Pediatrics 0.1%
All prescribers, by place, name or specialty →
Share of Medicare prescriptions written by each specialty. Select one to list its prescribers.
Trend, 2019–2024
Medicare prescriptions rose 19% from 2019 to 2024.
Biggest change by state since 2019
- Puerto Rico +101%
- Florida +43%
- Texas +40%
- Utah +36%
- Oregon +30%
- Massachusetts (smallest change) −10%
- Rhode Island (smallest change) −5%
From CMS’s yearly state and national Part D summaries, which count every prescriber, including those CMS leaves out of its per-clinician data (fewer than 11 prescriptions). That is why these totals are higher than the count at the top of this page. Prescriptions include refills.
What it looks like
Pills from 2 makers on file. The same medicine can look different depending on who made it, so check the imprint (the letters and numbers on the pill) with your pharmacist if a refill looks different.
Takeda Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 15 mg | white round tablet, 7 mm | ACTOS 15 |
| 30 mg | white round tablet, 7 mm | ACTOS 30 |
| 45 mg | white round tablet, 8 mm | ACTOS 45 |
Torrent Pharmaceuticals Limited
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 500 mg / 15 mg pioglitazone hydrochloride | white capsule, 14 mm | 1280 |
| 850 mg / 15 mg pioglitazone hydrochloride | white capsule, 18 mm | 1281 |
Source: DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), from each maker’s FDA drug listing. A few makers are shown, not every one. Never take a pill you can’t identify; ask a pharmacist.
Industry payments about this drug
Drug makers reported $4 in payments to clinicians that named this drug in 2025 (meals, speaking, consulting and similar).
- Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. $4
Source: CMS Open Payments, general payments (not research), program year 2025. A payment is not evidence of wrongdoing. Payments by doctor
Recalls and shortages
Not on the FDA drug shortage list.
1 recall since 2020
- Dec 2021 · Aurobindo Pharma USA Inc. · Class II
Superpotent and Failed Tablet/Capsule Specifications
Recalls usually affect specific lots from one maker, not every version of a drug. Class I is the most serious; most drug recalls are Class II. FDA recalls (opens in a new tab)
Sources: CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider and Drug (2024; prescriptions include refills, and CMS hides counts under 11 per prescriber); U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA (drug labels, NDC directory, enforcement reports, drug shortages); CMS Open Payments 2025; ClinicalTrials.gov. General information only, not medical advice; not yet reviewed by our medical reviewer.