Practice Area: Accutane
What is Accutane®?
Accutane®, a prescription drug manufactured by Hoffman La Roche, is used to treat severe acne. Drugs like Accutane, called Isotretinoin, are prescribed to alleviate severe acne symptoms but have also been prescribed for minor forms of acne. The generic forms of Accutane® are Claravis, Istane, Decutan, Amnesteem, Sotret, Ratane, Raccutane and generic Isotretinoin.
Hoffman La Roche sold 1.2 billion prescriptions of Accutane® annually grossing millions of dollars. In June 2009, Hoffman La Roche pulled Accutane® from the U.S. market citing litigation and generic market share.
Scientific studies, including a recent study from University of North Carolina, indicate that Accutane® and its generic forms are linked to inflammatory bowl disease (IBD). Inflammatory Bowel Disease is defined as a group of chronic intestinal diseases of the bowel - both the small and large intestine. The most common diseases are Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease. Ulcerative Colitis involves the inflammation of the large intestine, while Crohn's Disease can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus. Most commonly, Crohn's Disease affects the small intestine.
The symptoms of Inflammatory Bowel Disease include the following:
- Rectal Bleeding
- Severe Diarrhea
- Excessive Bowel Movements
- Frequent Urges to Have Bowel Movements
- Blood in Stool
- Mucus in Stool
- Abdominal Pain
- Abdominal Cramping
If you or a loved one have been suffering from the above symptoms or have been diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, or Crohn's Disease and have taken Accutane® or a generic form of the drug, contact us for a free consultation and case evaluation by our drug litigation team.
Accutane® Lawsuit Progress
Hoffman La Roche and the generic manufacturers are currently facing hundreds of lawsuits over allegations that their acne drug Accutane® is the cause of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease). There have been seven cases tried to verdict with the juries finding against the Accutane® manufacturers. A New Jersey jury awarded a young man $25.1 million in compensatory damages after he developed a severe case of Inflammatory Bowel Disease and had his colon removed. Another jury award three Florida residents $13 million as a result of developing IBD after taking Accutane®. More trials are scheduled this year.
Accutane Lawsuit Filed Against Hoffmann-La Roche
Fleming & Associates filed suit against Hoffmann-La Roche on behalf of New York woman who suffers from Inflammatory Bowel Disease as a result of ingesting Accutane. In her lawsuit she alleges that Accutane was defective in design and formulation. Further, she asserts that Hoffmann-La Roche did not sufficiently test Accutane. The lawsuit also alleges that Accutane was unreasonably dangerous and that Hoffmann-La Roche failed to warn consumers and physicians about the risks and reactions with the drug, specifically, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease.
If you or a loved one have been suffering from the above symptoms or have been diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, or Crohn's Disease and have taken Accutane® or a generic form of the drug, contact us for a free consultation and case evaluation by our drug litigation team.
