Exhaustive Accutane IBD Lawsuit Finally Coming to a Close

Edwardsville, ILAn Accutanelawsuit that was originally to be tried in 2007 appears to be finally heading to resolution, according to the 6/22/10 issue of the Madison County Record. As part of the Accutane inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) lawsuit, a Circuit Court judge was to hear various arguments in favor of a settlement for plaintiff Jason Peipert.

Accutane is an acne medication that was commonly prescribed to control severe acne. Manufacturers Hoffman-LaRoche Inc. and Roche Laboratories pulled Accutane from the market last year, although the medication is still sold in Canada and is still available in the US in generic form.

Plaintiff Peipert was prescribed Accutane in the late 1990s by Dr. Daniel Goran. He launched his lawsuit against Hoffman-LaRoche Inc., Roche laboratories and Dr. Goran in 2003, alleging that Accutane caused him to develop inflammatory bowel disease. It took four years to progress to the planned trial date in 2007. The case was delayed several times before finally heading for trial in April of this year with the last of three defendants (two had settled).

However, according to the Record, Goran settled just prior to the April 19 trial date. By then, Goran was the last defendant standing in the case.

Circuit Court Judge David Hylla had previously urged all parties to return to mediation during a pre-trial conference in February. Judge Hylla referenced the age of the proceeding and merits of the case.

Both Roche defendants settled with the plaintiff following mediation with Madison County Circuit Court Judge Daniel Stack in March.

Now that all defendants have settled, Hoffman-LaRoche Inc. and Roche Laboratories are asking for a good faith finding in their settlement with Peipert. Judge Hylla was to hear arguments in this final phase of the case on June 25.

Peipert accused Goran of negligence in prescribing Accutane acne medication to him and claimed that the drug's defects were responsible for his Accutane side effects. When the manufacturer took the drug off the market last year, it cited increased competition from generics as the reason for its decision.