On Friday, June 26, Roche Holding AG announced that it was voluntarily pulling its popular, yet controversial, acne medication, Accutane, from the market. Accutane was released on the market in 1982 and since has been linked to severe health complications ranging from birth defects to depression, suicidal tendencies, and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
It is estimated that since its release, 13 million people have taken Accutane. Due to its association with birth defects, in 2002, Roche began a tracking system to lower the number of pregnant women taking the drug. In that year alone, nearly 80 percent of women taking Accutane while pregnant elected abortion because of the high rates of birth defects. In addition, in 2004, lawmakers moved to have Accutane taken off the market because of its association with severe depression and suicidal tendencies.
Right now Roche faces as many as 5,000 personal-injury claims over Accutane. Recently the company lost a series of lawsuits to those who used Accutane and suffered inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) as a result. So far, juries have awarded at least $33 million in damages to users of Accutane across the country.
If you or a loved one has experienced the dangerous Accutane side effects, you may be entitled to file an Accutane lawsuit to recover compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages, and more.
