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Accutane®

Important Accutane® Update

More and more people who have used Accutane® for the treatment of severe acne are linking problems with their health to the medication. If you have suffered inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Crohn's Disease or ulcerative colitis and have a history of taking Accutane®, contact an attorney about your right to financial compensation.

Call us today or fill out the form to the right to schedule a free evaluation of your case.

Information about Accutane®

Accutane ( isotretinoin ) is a type of vitamin A that has been prescribed to millions of patients worldwide for the treatment of severe (nodular) acne. The acne medication works by reducing the oil that is released in the skin's oil glands. This allows for the skin to renew itself faster than normal. Because Accutane® is a harsh treatment that comes with some ill side effects such as severe dryness of the skin and mucous membranes, it is only prescribed when other treatments have failed.

Hoffman-LaRoche Inc., the manufacturer of Accutane®, pulled the medicine from the U.S. market in 2009. The company blamed its decision on financial reasons. However, the company faces thousands of lawsuits that allege injuries caused by Accutane® side effects. Generic versions of Accutane® are still sold in the U.S. and Hoffman-LaRoche continues to sell it outside the U.S. under the brand name, Roaccutane.

Accutane® Side Effects Create Controversy

Accutane® has been a controversial acne medication for years because of the serious risk of side effects attributed to it. The potential dangers of the drug include dangerous birth defects in children whose mothers use the drug during pregnancy, depression and thoughts of suicide, and the development of painful intestinal disorders.

Accutane® Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Most recently, Accutane® has been linked to inflammatory bowel disease in some patients. Inflammatory bowel disease is marked by painful inflammation of the intestines. The two main types of inflammatory bowel disease are Crohn's Disease, which most commonly affects the small intestine and/or the colon, and ulcerative colitis, which affects the large intestine (colon).

Symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease include:

• Cramping and pain in the stomach
• Urgency to make a bowel movement
• Bloody diarrhea
• Loss of appetite, weight loss
• Fever

Both Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis can lead to potentially fatal intestinal complications, including bleeding from ulcers that form on the intestines, rupturing of the bowel, perianal disease, toxic megacolon and colon cancer.

Accutane® Birth Defect Risk

Scientific data has proven that women who ingest Accutane® during their pregnancy have a much higher risk of giving birth to children with birth defects. As a result, women who are of the child bearing age and are taking Accutane® or any isotretinoin-containing drug are strongly advised not to get pregnant. Before taking the medication, women are required to sign and agree to follow instructions outlined in the iPLEDGE program.

Under the iPLEDGE program, women taking the medication agree to use two forms of birth control while taking Accutane®. They are also instructed not to get pregnant for at least one month after stopping an isotretinoin treatment. The risk of miscarriage is also high in women taking the acne medication.

Accutane® and Mental Health

Before Accutane® was pulled from the U.S. market, the label contained a warning about a risk of serious mental health problems, including severe depression, psychosis (hearing or seeing things that are not real) and suicide.

Learn More About Accutane®

If you took Accutane® and have since suffered an ill side effect, you might be able to seek compensation through an Accutane® lawsuit. To find out more information or to speak with an Accutane® attorney about your right to financial compensation, call 1-800-880-4965 or fill out the form to the right and someone in our office will contact you shortly.