Ulcerative Colitis Reason Behind Accutane Florida Lawsuit

In 2009, Roche decided to stop marketing Accutane for economic reasons. In announcing the decision, Roche cited the high cost of product liability suits involving the drug as one of the factors in the decision. One accutane lawsuit filed against the drug maker was brought by John Patrick Carter, 34, who blamed the drug for his inflammatory bowel disorder. Carter took Accutane in his teens and alleged that Hoffmann-La Roche did not appropriately warn of the drug’s accutane side effects. The term “Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)” actually refers to a group of chronic diseases involving the intestines, which can be caused by Accutane. The most common types are: Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. 

Known generically as Isotretinoin, Accutane has, in addition to accutane inflammatory bowel diesase, also been associated with problems of the liver, kidneys, central nervous system, and pancreas; and cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and autoimmune systems problems.
Most recently, Accutane has been associated with severe, and possibly fatal, skin reactions, including erythema multiforme [EM], Stevens-Johnson syndrome [SJS], and toxic epidermal necrolysis [TEN]. At the time when Roche pulled Accutane from the market, it was facing 5000 lawsuits involving the drug.It has also been known to cause psychiatric problems, and has been linked to hundreds of cases of suicide in the U.S. 

Approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 1982; it was ultimately pulled from U.S. markets as well as in 11 other countries. The last date for distribution of Accutane in the U.S. was June 25, 2009.All of the Accutane suits include allegations that the drug maker failed to adequately warn users about potential Accutane side effects. The company lost the first six cases that went to trial so far, with verdicts totaling $56 million. Roche has also reached Accutane settlements in other lawsuits for undisclosed amounts.Accutane has been linked to conditions similar to vitamin A toxicity which appears to be dosage related. In addition to Carter’s case, which was centralized in Tampa, Florida, nearly 6,000 other cases have been filed in the massive New Jersey Accutane MDL. So far, plaintiffs have been successful in seven out of the nine cases that have been presented to a jury, with millions of dollars in damages from Accutane being awarded.