Hoffman-La Roche, the manufacturers of now-defunct acne drug Accutane, have claimed that the removal of their product from the market was caused by competition from generic products, but evidence points to something else entirely – the multitude of lawsuits filed by former patients of the drug that claim serious side effects such as bowel disease as a result of taking the medication. Other complaints include an increased risk of suicide as well as birth defects.
Each of the lawsuits that have gone to trial against the corporation have turned out with the juries siding with the plaintiff, meaning that the victims of the serious side effects of the drug have been receiving settlements to benefit them after whatever ordeal they may have suffered because of the medication. For example, hairdresser Kamie Kendall won a settlement of $11 million after she claimed that Accutane, which she had been prescribed at age 12, had caused her to develop ulcerative colitis.
An unnamed plaintiff was awarded $2.25 million when her child was born with severe heart defects caused by the drug, and the family of a teenage boy who had been prescribed Accutane settled with the company out of court after alleging that his prescription had contributed to the circumstances surrounding his Accutane-related suicide. The lawsuits against the company claim that Hoffman-La Roche marketed and sold its product with at least some knowledge that it could cause bowel diseases, birth defects, and contribute to psychiatric problems but neglected to inform either patients or doctors about these risks.
Despite the fact that the drug has not been on the market since it was pulled in 2009, the court system is still overwhelmed by lawsuits against the medication that are still awaiting either trial or settlement. Many of these suits will go to trial in 2011.
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