Accutane Lawsuit Gets Underway

More than 3,000 lawsuits have been filed against drugmaker Roche for their acne drug Accutane, pulled from the market in 2009, between September 23, 2004 and February 16, 2011. There seems to be no sign of the influx slowing down, either – more than 300 lawsuits have been filed just since the beginning of 2011. Many of these lawsuits are being consolidated in a multidistrict litigation case in New Jersey, that is being presided over by Judge Carol Higbee of Atlantic City. Although the legal process is often lengthy, plaintiffs hoping for some form of compensation for their Accutane-related suffering should have hope – the first three trials in the case have gotten under way this week, meaning more trials won’t be far behind.

The first plaintiffs to have their day in court are James Marshall, Kelley Andrews, and Gillian Gaghan. Each of these plaintiffs has experienced some form of intestinal disorder, and they believe that Accutane is the culprit. Most, if not all, of the Accutane cases are similar in one sense – plaintiffs believe that the makers of Accutane did not provide sufficient or accurate warning to the public on the potential risks of gastrointestinal problems, including inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn’s disease.

Plaintiffs in all the Accutane lawsuits that have reached a jury so far have been awarded compensation by the drugmaker Roche. Millions of dollars have been awarded to patients to compensate for pain, suffering, medical bills, and other expenses surrounding severe bowel problems caused by the product. More than 16 million people throughout the world have used Accutane or its generic form, which – until its recall in 2009 – was hailed as a highly effective acne medication that worked on severe cases of acne that were not helped by other treatments. However, many patients were completely unaware of the potential for severe side effects that came with the drug.