In the early part of 2010, a jury in New Jersey awarded more than $25 million in damages and compensation to a plaintiff that sued on the basis of the severe side effects brought on by the use of the acne drug Accutane. The plaintiff claimed that Accutane caused the onset of his severe Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), and that none of the disclaimers sufficiently warned him of this possibility. Due to the onset of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, the plaintiff had to have a portion of his colon surgically removed, and will suffer from chronic complications of the disease for the rest of his life.
Juries are being asked to award millions of dollars in damages and compensation due to the severe side effects of the acne drug Accutane. The makers of Accutane, Roche Pharmaceuticals, pulled the acne medication off of store shelves and away from doctors' offices all over the world in the fall of 2009, but it was not enough to stave off the growing number of side effects and complications experienced by patients worldwide.
What Accutane Is
Accutane is a potent and powerful drug designed to treat cases of severe acne for patients who have tried other treatments and medications without any measure of success. Accutane is described by doctors, and by experts, as the acne treatment of last resort. Considering the harsh nature of drug's side effects, this is perhaps an all too apt description of Accutane.
The developers of Accutane, Roche Pharmaceuticals, claim that Accutane is a natural derivative of vitamin A. For whatever reason, high doses of Accutane cause severe reactions in patients. The problem, of course, is that for Accutane to be an effective treatment for acne, it must be administered in high doses. Thus the large outbreak of side effect cases. High doses of the drug have been linked to intense gastrointestinal disorders, digestive tract disorders, skin conditions and problems with severe depression and suicidal thoughts.
How Accutane Works
Accutane, when in the human body, seems to restrict the output of an acne patient's sub-dermal oil glands. This helps clear up acne for most. Yet oil glands operating at peak capacity are an essential part of the human immune system. When a chemical agent inhibits these glands – such as Accutane – particular functions of a patient's immune system begin to shut down. For many unfortunate acne patients, the rapid onset of many different kinds of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases occurs.
Accutane Lawsuits and Crohn's Disease
Due to the quick onset of IBDs, such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, many Accutane patients are seeking compensation in a court of law. Lawsuits are being filed in New Jersey, home of Roche Pharmaceuticals, on behalf of affected Accutane patients all over the country. Roche Pharmaceuticals has already lost several high profile lawsuits, settled out of one more, and faces more than 1,000 lawsuits seeking compensation due to the side effects of Accutane. There has not been a national Accutane class action filed and claims are still being pursued individually.
Author Resource:
John Mitchell is the author of this article on Accutane Class Action .
Find more information about Accutane Lawsuit here.
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