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Accutane Reviews

Accutane is a prescription medication that has been used to treat mild and severe acne and was created and produced by Hoffman LaRoche. The pharmaceutical manufacturer LaRoche reports approximately $1.2 billion every year solely for sales of the acne drug Accutane.

Accutane’s History

The drug was first introduced to markets in 1982. Since then, about 13 million people have used Accutane to treat acne. Most recently, the acne drug Accutane has also been at the center of various lawsuits around the country. Users of Accutane have reported suffering a variety of side effects after using the drug. There are many settled and pending lawsuits against Accutane and the specific side effects allegedly caused by Accutane.

Accutane and Bowel Disease

Some people that have used Accutane have reported suffering bowel injuries as a result. One prescribed Accutane user reported experiencing severe inflammatory bowel disease and ultimately suffered from Crohn's Disease. After using Accutane for over 9 years, this user was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease in 2000. His ongoing suffering includes fatigue, diarrhea, and depression, thus disabling him from working full-time. This user was ultimately awarded $7 million due to these unanticipated effects. The jury found that Roche Laboratories had failed to adequately warn people about the kinds of side effects they could experience in using Accutane.

Manufacturer Legal Liability

Because inflammatory bowel disease creates a higher risk of colon cancer in individuals, there are many legal claims that can be made against Accutane. Accutane has been demonstrated as linked to inflammatory bowel disease, and thus is associated with a serious hazard of the drug. Attorneys have been filing lawsuits in opposition to Roche Laboratories because the company has been accused of failing to include accurate language regarding side effects on Accutane’s label and in marketing the drug.

Manufacturer Efforts

Recently, Accutane has received a new FDA-mandated label to warn users of the possibility of suffering from inflammatory bowel disease after using the drug. However, given the number of other lawsuits pending, these lawsuits seem to suggest there are many other diseases and illnesses that Accutane has been associated with, remaining unreported on Accutane labels. This poses a serious risk for current and potential users of the acne drug Accutane.

Due to FDA rules and regulations, reporting adverse side effects is optional. This means doctors, hospitals, and other medical officials are not required to report an adverse side effect of Accutane to the FDA.

Accutane and Suicide

Other lawsuits surrounding Accutane have focused on the psychiatric effects on its users. A 15-year old Florida boy crashed a small plane into a Tampa skyscraper after he had been using Accutane for eight months. Other cases have involved suicides of young individuals allegedly linked to the use of Accutane. Another 14-year old boy stood in front of a commuter train next to the Palo Alto High School football field.

Consulting With an Attorney

In Accutane cases, one of the major points of contention is whether or not the drug "causes" certain illnesses and disease. The issue of causation can be difficult to prove without the proper legal team and expert witnesses. The key for users of Accutane is to immediately contact a law firm for consultation, even if they suspect any health illness or symptom may be related to Accutane in even a minor fashion. There are many other health symptoms that have been related and associated with the use of Accutane.

Side Effects of Accutane

There have been a variety of other side effects reported as being associated with Accutane use. Some of these are weakened skin, depression, and suicidal tendencies. Eye problems include pink eye, dryness of the eyes, and blurred vision. Mothers to be have experienced miscarriages and birth defects in their children. Joint pain, muscle pain, and abdominal pain have all been reported side effects of Accutane as well. Ringing in the ear, aggressive behavior, stroke, and seizures have been very serious problems reported in regards to Accutane. Men have been reported as experiencing erectile dysfunction. Some other problems experienced by Accutane users are allergic vasculitis, lowered white cell blood count, heart attacks, liver damage, and anaphylaxis. Many people have also reported having a host of other gastrointestinal problems when using Accutane.