Accutane was a popular acne medication that helped many people with severe acne who did not respond so effectively to treatments such as antibiotic pills and topical ointments. However, it was voluntarily pulled from its circulation in the US pharmaceuticals market in 2009, allegedly due to generic competition from similar products. However, the number of lawsuits pouring in from consumers who have experienced severe side effects from Accutane has led some critics to raise eyebrows at the medication as well as the corporation’s lack of warnings to consumers regarding their product.
Over 2,500 lawsuits against Roche, the Swiss manufacturer of Accutane, have already begun litigation, meaning that the cases are already at some stage in the state or federal court system. Some of the lawsuits have already been decided, either by a jury or by an out-of-court settlement, and Roche has paid $60 million in settlements to various victims of the side effects of their product. Although there is no guarantee what kind of payoff a plaintiff will receive for his or her suffering, one man filed a lawsuit against Roche due to side effects he had suffered and received $25 million from the corporation after a jury decision in his favor. Other plaintiffs have received smaller sums, but most of them are significant – every jury decision in the plaintiff’s favor has netted them at least $5 million.
All of the winning lawsuits so far have been related to gastrointestinal diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn’s disease, all of which Accutane has been definitively linked to. However, the drug is suspected to cause other side effects such as birth defects, depression, and thoughts of suicide. Since these things cannot necessarily proven, people who are considering filing suit against the company should consult with a lawyer who has worked with Accutane lawsuits in order to determine if they have a case.
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