Accutane Class Action Lawsuits

There are nearly 1,000 lawsuits over Accutane pending in state and federal courts. 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.

Understanding Accutane Long Term Side Effects

Accutane has been linked to conditions similar to vitamin A toxicity which appears to be dosage related. Scientific studies have suggested that Accutane adverse reactions could include:

• Birth defects
• Depression
• Crohn’s disease
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Ulcerative colitis.

Accutane Bowel Problems
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is the name for a group of digestive disorders that includes ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, and have been linked to Accutane. IBD impacts the intestinal tract and affects about 4 million people world wide.

Most of Accutane?s side effects are associated with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. These include Crohn?s disease, a painful and incurable condition that affects the entire human digestive system. Symptoms of this disorder can manifest anywhere in the system. This includes fissures in anal tissue, abnormal passages between the various organs of the digestive system and even symptoms that manifest in the mouth.

The treatment for this Accutane side effect oftentimes includes surgery. There are medications that can lessen symptom severity, but there are no medications that can reverse or eliminate the disease from the affected individual. This means a lifetime of treatments, potentially numerous surgeries and a great deal of pain and suffering. Accutane and Colitis are also strongly linked.

Accutane Stevens-Johnson Syndrome
In February 2010, Health Canada reported that it had received reports of severe skin reactions, including sometimes fatal reaction known as Stevens-Johnson Syndrome from Accutane. At least 66 reports of Accutane skin reactions were identified by Health Canada, including adults and children, with two of the cases resulting in death.

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) is a severe skin reaction that occurs as a side effect of several medications. It is highly debilitating and causes the skin to burn from the inside out, producing blisters, severe rashes and the skin may begin to separate from the body. When the skin lesions affect more than 30% of the body, the condition is referred to as Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN). Treatment in a hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU) or Burn Unit is often required, and the conditions can be fatal in many cases

Accutane and Pregnancy
Women who have taken Accutane should have had to meet the iPLEDGE requirements approved by the FDA, making sure they understood the possibility of severe birth defects or possibility of miscarriage before taking the drug. Providers would have had to warn female patients of all this and inform them that they should not pregnant while taking the drug. If female patients did conceive while taking Accutane, they should have been warned to discontinue use and keep in contact with a medical professional who is experienced with reproductive toxicity. Women who were not warned of this have legitimate grievances against either their medical provider who prescribed them Accutane, or Hoffman La Roche.

Legal Responsibility

Health care providers can be held responsible if they do not inform patients of the side effects of Accutane. It is a responsibility of a provider to make certain patients are well aware of all side effects before taking a drug or else they could be considered as acting negligent.

Consumers who were prescribed Accutane before Hoffman La Roche warned those outside the company of widespread serious risks of taking the drug are generally successful in court rulings. The New Jersey Superior Court awarded several million to three people claiming that Accutane caused their inflammatory bowel disease. Inflammatory bowel disease can include Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis and can seriously affect a patient’s quality of life and health.

In 2009, Hoffman La Roche discontinued the manufacture of Accutane citing their dwindling market share of the acne medication because of widespread generic brands. The medication that was introduced in 1982 has since treated over 13 million patients.

If you or a loved one has experienced serious side effects or health complications with Accutane, fill out a case evaluation form today. Our team of attorneys has experience specific to complications associated with prescription medication. Not only can they give you the legal guidance you need, they can help you get the compensation you deserve.

Accutane Class Action Lawsuits You may be eligible to participate in an Accutane lawsuit. In this case, a lawyer will file your claim individually as opposed to a class action where you would be added to the numerous plaintiffs in the case, who are suing as a group of individuals instead of as individuals on their own. A lawyer will know for sure what your best options are. If you?re suffering any of the Accutane side effects listed, you should investigate your legal options as soon as possible due to statute of limitations.

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