One Accutane Lawsuit Finished

Atlantic City, NJThe final defendant in a lawsuit related to Accutane acne medication has settled the claims against him, putting an end to the long-running suit. The plaintiff alleged he suffered from serious Accutane side effects, including inflammatory bowel disease, which caused him severe pain and resulted in multiple surgeries. Accutane medication has been linked to inflammatory bowel disease and birth defects.

The lawsuit involved plaintiff Jason Peipert, who was prescribed Accutane in the late 1990s and later developed inflammatory bowel disease. Peipert filed lawsuits against Hoffman-LaRoche Inc. and Roche Laboratories—makers of Accutane—but the two companies settled Peipert's claims for an undisclosed amount. The settlement against the drug manufacturers was reached on March 24, 2010, after the two sides entered mediation.

The final defendant, Dr. Daniel Goran, was accused of medical malpractice for prescribing Peipert the Accutane (known generically as isotretinoin).

Earlier in 2010, a jury awarded $25.16 million to the plaintiff in a different Accutane lawsuit, Andy McCarrell, who alleged that he developed chronic ulcerative colitis a year after finishing his Accutane treatment. McCarrell said he suffered from severe complications of inflammatory bowel disease, which ultimately resulted in the removal of his colon.

The jury in that lawsuit found that Hoffman-LaRoche Inc. failed to properly warn McCarrell's physician about the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease.

Concerns about the risk of birth defects in babies who were exposed to Accutane were so strong that women of childbearing age had to agree to a program called iPledge, in which they were tested for pregnancy and promised to use two methods of birth control to prevent pregnancy.

In June 2009 Accutane was removed from the market at the request of its manufacturers.

Accutane is a synthetic form of vitamin A used to treat severe nodular acne. The medication worked by reducing the oil released by the patient's oil glands. Although Accutane has been pulled from the market, is still available in its generic form, isotretinoin, and sold under the names Amnesteem, Claravis and Sotret.

Defendants have lost all six Accutane-related lawsuits, for a total of $56 million. Juries in the cases found that Roche did not properly warn physicians or patients about the risks associated with Accutane. One of the lawsuits, however, was overturned on appeal.