Takeda ads push Actos in US after Avandia warning

NEW YORK, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Takeda Pharmaceutical Co Ltd (4502.T) said on Thursday it was planning a major U.S. advertising campaign for diabetes drug Actos -- one day after a new safety warning was issued on rival product Avandia.

The ads will run in 82 local newspapers and in several news weeklies, starting on Friday, under the headline "Actos has been shown to lower blood sugar without increasing your risk of having a heart attack or stroke."

The move follows an announcement by the Food and Drug Administration that GlaxoSmithKline Plc's (GSK.L) second- biggest seller, Avandia, should carry a "black box" warning that it can cause chest pain or heart attacks.

The heart-attack risk associated with Avandia was first highlighted in May. Since then, sales of the medicine have plunged, benefiting Actos.

Avandia, known generically as rosiglitazone, and Actos, known generically as pioglitazone, both belong to the same drug class and are designed to help people with type-2 diabetes by making the body more sensitive to insulin. (Reporting by Ben Hirschler; editing by Andre Grenon)