Accutane Crohn’s Disease: Painful and Permanent

The two medical conditions seen most often in plaintiffs who have filed Accutane lawsuits are Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, two gastrointestinal disorders that can cause long-lasting complications for a patient. Ulcerative colitis is a bowel disease that causes inflammation in the lining of a patient’s rectum and colon. In many patients sores, or ulcers, also develop. Bleeding and pus, as well as the inflammation of the colon, result in chronic diarrhea and other painful complications.
Crohn’s disease is another inflammatory bowel disorder commonly cited in Accutane litigation. This takes place when the intestinal wall becomes inflamed. Accutane Crohn’s disease can be found in many parts of the digestive tract.
Affected areas can include the small intestine, mouth, esophagus, and stomach, whereas ulcerative colitis only affects the colon and rectum.

Both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis have an impact on patients for a long time, and are chronic conditions that can be a serious detriment to a patient’s quality of life. Intestinal blockage, fistulas, ulcers, sores, and diarrhea are all common symptoms, and in many cases can result in multiple hospitalizations and chronic pain and digestive problems.

Because of these and other side effects associated with Accutane use, there have been several thousand lawsuits filed in the past few years against drugmaker Roche, the Swiss drugmaking giant that was responsible for the production of the acne treatment drug until it was pulled from the market in 2009.

There have been over 3,500 Accutane lawsuits filed across the country, and these have been consolidated in mass tort litigation to help speed up the litigation process. In this mass tort method, pretrial processes will be dealt with at once – in the Accutane case, centralized in a court in New Jersey. Even more Accutane lawsuits have been consolidated in multidistrict litigation, which is set to take place in the Middle District of Florida.
Filing an Accutane lawsuit might be the best course of action for patients who have experienced Accutane side effects, as damages and settlement money can help pay for medical bills and treatment of serious side effects.