Accutane Crohn's Disease and Other Gastrointestinal Problems of Concern

Patients who have used the acne drug Accutane often already know of the potential side effects because the serious and potentially life-threatening complications of the seemingly innocent drug have been in the news lately. This is partially due to a number of lawsuits that have been filed against the manufacturers of Accutane, the drug making giant Hoffman-La Roche. Accutane was recalled in 2009 in a voluntary move by the manufacturers, allegedly because of generic competition, but many people believe that the recall was initiated because of the growing number of Accutane lawsuits. 

Legal action in Accutane side effects cases

A number of former patients of the acne drug Accutane have experienced the serious and often lifelong side effects of Accutane use. Some of these patients have decided to take legal action and contact an Accutane lawyer that could help them file a lawsuit against the drug makers. These plaintiffs are filing suit in order to win compensation that could help cover medical costs past and future, as well as pain and suffering, lost wages from work missed or jobs lost, and other significant costs. Litigation is the best option for a number of Accutane side effects victims, as covering costs associated with side effects can be quite costly. 

Accutane Crohn's and ulcerative colitis in lawsuits

Two of the most commonly cited conditions in Accutane litigation are Accutane Crohn's disease and Accutane ulcerative colitis. Both of these conditions are known as Accutane inflammatory bowel diseases, and are gastrointestinal conditions that have been linked to Accutane use. There is no cure for either of the conditions, but there are a number of treatments that patients can undergo to help alleviate the symptoms. They are almost always lifelong diseases and can be life-threatening.

Crohn's disease is a gastrointestinal disease that can manifest anywhere along the gastrointestinal tract and symptoms vary based on where the disease manifests. Common symptoms are abdominal pain and cramping, weight loss, and severe diarrhea. Other side effects include fever, mouth sores, skin disorders, eye inflammations, and fatigue.

Accutane ulcerative colitis is usually more localized, with it affecting the rectal area for the most part, although it may involve the entire large intestine over time. Side effects are similar to those of Crohn's disease but can include skin lumps or ulcers and rectal pain. 

More than 6,000 Accutane lawsuits have already been filed and experts expect that more are on the way. 

Accutane IBD: Source of Pain and Litigation

Accutane Inflammatory bowel disease is one of the major concern patients have when learning about Accutane side effects of the acne drug Accutane. The prescription drug was pulled from the pharmaceuticals market in 2009 by its manufacturer, Hoffman La Roche, after a number of patients complained of serious side effects linked to the drug, many contacting Accutane lawyers in order to file suit against the drug makers. Many of the patients involved in Accutane litigation have filed suit because they suffer from Accutane inflammatory bowel disease, which can cause serious and life-altering symptoms and often affects the patient for the rest of his or her life.

Plaintiffs continue to consult Accutane lawyers and file Accutane lawsuits to this day, and now a petition is gaining ground on change.org, with signers urging Roche to "tell the truth" and "come clean" about inflammatory bowel disease related to Accutane. 

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.

Accutane Lawyers Optimistic About Settlements

The acne drug Accutane was introduced as a popular cure for severe acne, although the medication itself (isotretinoin) was originally introduced as a chemotherapy drug, a powerful medication that helped to kill cancer cells. Researchers noticed that the medication was also highly effective against acne, giving a number of patients with severe and difficult to treat cases of acne hope for the future. However, a few patients began to notice certain conditions developing as a result of Accutane use—namely, various forms of accutane inflammatory bowel diesase. These conditions, including Crohn’s disease and accutane ulcerative colitis, are debilitating, painful, and often permanent. 

However, for some Accutane patients there is a light at the end of this tunnel. A number of patients affected by Accutane inflammatory bowel diseases and other accutane side effects have made the decision to file suit against drugmaker Hoffman-La Roche, and as Bloomberg News observed in 2010, the drugmaker lost the first 7 Accutane side effects personal injury cases that were seen in court since 2007.

Side Effects of Accutane Cause Suffering and Lawsuits

Side effects of Accutane, a popular acne medication that is available as a generic, have been linked to increased risk of serious and debilitating bowel problems, such as inflammatory bowel disease and accutane ulcerative colitis.The ulcerative colitis symptoms can come and go over time. It is an intermittent disease, which typically has periods of execrated symptoms and periods of time where a user is relatively free of symptoms after treatment to go into remission. Ulcerative colitis can have a devastating impact on an individual’s quality of life. Unfortunately, the manufacturers failed to adequately warn about the potential ulcerative colitis accutane side effects. As a result, users diagnosed with this condition may be entitled to compensation through an Accutane ulcerative colitis lawsuit.

Ulcerative colitis affects the inner lining of the colon and rectum, causing them to become inflamed. There is no cure for either disease. However medication and surgery are options which can be effective in treating these ailments.Many former users of the acne medication are participating in the accutane lawsuit over ulcerative colitis. Complaints allege that the drug maker failed to adequately research their medication or warn about the risk of Accutane colitis. Information contained on the drug’s warning label has been vague and confusing, leaving consumers and physicians unclear on the extent of the risk of the impact ulcerative colitis from Accutane may have on an individual for the rest of their life.

Juries in NJ and FL ordered Roche to pay at least $75 million in damages; however, appeals courts later threw out two of the verdicts, including a 2007 award of $7 million to a Florida man who blamed the drug for his IBD and $25 million to a New Jersey man who blamed the drug for his IBD as well. In November 2008, a New Jersey jury ordered Roche to pay $13 million to three plaintiffs. The prior April, another NJ jury awarded $10.5 million to a woman who blamed the drug for her ulcerative colitis. In May 2007, a NJ trial resulted in an award of $2.62 million to a patient requiring removal of his colon and most of his rectum after taking Accutane.

Use of Accutane Results in Severe Pain for Patients

Accutane (isotretinoin) was developed in 1982 for the treatment of severe acne. It has been used by more than 16 million people worldwide before an Accutane recall was issued in June 2009, and the brand name medication was discontinued. Roche cited the cost of defending against accutane lawsuit as a factor in their decision to stop selling the name brand of the medication in the U.S.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 also been associated with accutane inflammatory bowel diesase; problems of the liver, kidneys, central nervous system, and pancreas; and cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and autoimmune systems problems.

Accutane Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Painful and Limiting

Patients with severe acne are likely to tell you the psychological and physical problems they face because of the skin condition. Many are willing to do anything in order to alleviate the problem, as it can be limiting both personally and socially and can have a huge hand in lowering a person’s self esteem. So when a number of patients prescribed Accutane noticed the extremely effective results the popular drug provided, they were ecstatic. And when the drug was pulled from shelves in 2009 by the manufacturers of it, Hoffman-La Roche, they may have been confused.

Accutane lawyer has filed lawsuit against accutane for its sexual side effects .However, what some did not know then—and, thanks to media coverage, many know now—Accutane side effects, it was causing a number of problems for certain patients, including but not limited to inflammatory bowel disease. Accutane Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are both forms of inflammatory bowel disease,

Accutane Ulcerative Colitis Cases Being Appealed

Drugmaker Roche was responsible for the manufacture of discontinued acne drug Accutane, which was recalled by the company after being linked to serious gastrointestinal conditions including accutane ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Accutane lawyer are handling thousands of cases from patients whose conditions developed after they began treatment with the powerful medication. Plaintiffs in Accutane cases are seeking compensation that can help cover ongoing medical bills, as the conditions some Accutane users develop are chronic and without cure and most involve major surgery, sometimes even necessitating the removal of parts of the colon or intestines.

A few years ago, a former Accutane patient named Andrew McCarrell filed accutane lawsuit because he had developed ulcerative colitis after taking Accutane, which resulted in five painful surgeries and the eventual removal of his colon. After his colon was removed he was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, another serious gastrointestinal condition that will be with McCarrell for the rest of his life.

Lawyers Provide Accutane Lawsuit Advice

Accutane was a popular and highly effective acne medication that was used by a number of people worldwide to treat especially severe cases of acne. Patients who were meant to use Accutane had cases of acne that were not affected by normal, less severe treatments including topical ointments and pills. It helped a significant number of its users clear their skin and get their lives back on track. Bad skin can be detrimental to self-esteem and it can get the wrong message across about a person. So why was the seemingly booming drug yanked from shelves by its manufacturer, Hoffman-La Roche, in 2009?

Many people have some idea— Accutane side effects have been linked to a number of serious gastrointestinal conditions, as well as depression and severe birth defects. The gastrointestinal conditions linked with Accutane are usually forms of inflammatory bowel syndrome— accutane crohns disease and Accutane ulcerative colitis being the most common.

Accutane Lawsuits Over Enduring Side Effects

It might surprise a number of people, even Accutane patients, that the Acne drug Accutane was originally intended to be a drug that fights cancer. The active ingredient, isotretinoin, stops cancer cells from dividing. It also helps fight acne because it prevents cells from dividing. However, as a chemotherapy drug, it has a certain number of side effects. Family and friends of cancer patients who have had to undergo chemotherapy may have noticed side effects like hair loss and vomiting; this is because medications like this are not able to differentiate by fast-multiplying cells like cancer cells and fast-multiplying cells like hair cells and cells that coat the stomach lining. Therefore, it can come with a significant number of side effects. This is also the case with Accutane—a number of patients have experienced serious side effects.

While some patients have experienced suicidal thoughts and depression, which are the most common side effects that involved in Accutane lawsuits by Accutane Lawyers are those related to Accutane inflammatory bowel disease. With that Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis have been reported by a number of patients too.

Over 6,000 Accutane Lawsuits Have Been Filed in Mass Tort

Approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 1982, Accutane has been the subject of controversy for years. It first garnered attention in the late eighties for causing severe birth defects. It has also been known to cause psychiatric problems, and has been linked to hundreds of cases of suicide in the United States. It was recently announced on October 4^th that Accutane lawsuits had just reached 6,384 cases. This means there has been an addition of nearly 1,200 cases since August. The spike in Accutane claims filed in New Jersey comes on the heels of a court ruling there that found the statute of limitation for such lawsuit should be based on when plaintiffs discovered there could be a connection between the Accutane and their bowel disorder.

All of the suits involve allegations that side effects of Accutane, a popular acne medication developed by Roche, caused users to develop severe gastrointestinal problems. Plaintiffs allege that Roche and generic drug makers failed to adequately research the medication or warn about the risk of inflammatory bowel disease, which could include Accutane ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.