Canadian Television Producer the Face of Accutane Lawsuit

London, ONA Canadian television producer who was prescribed Accutane at age 17 to control her acne, is now left to deal with the chronic illness Accutane Ulcerative Colitis. Two surgeries and the removal of her colon later, “it’s been devastating,” Jennifer Twamley says. “I wish I had never taken the drug.”

Twamley has not only launched an Accutane lawsuit against the manufacturers of Accutane, Hoffmann-La Roche, her case is serving as the lead case of a mass tort in Canada. It should be noted that while Accutane was pulled from US shelves by the manufacturer in 2009, ostensibly the result of a business decision, Accutane is still available north of the border.

According to Canada News Wire (CNW 2/4/13), the 33-year-old Twamley claims that her career and lifestyle have been drastically impacted by her chronic illness, which she references in a statement to CNW as “isolating.” Her case is one of about a dozen cases being prepared for trial in Canada. However, Twamley’s legal team says there could be thousands more suffering from a similar fate to that of Twamley, or others with Accutane Crohns disease and having no knowledge that it may have been Accutane that triggered the often debilitating illness.

A common allegation is that Accutane patients were not warned about the potential for Accutane inflammatory bowel disease or other debilitating Accutane side effects. The issue is tragic, given that acne - while a source of emotional trauma and self-esteem issues in teens - is usually only temporary, and abates when an individual moves beyond her teen years.

Sadly, long after the acne medication has been stopped, Accutane IBD can take hold and last a lifetime.

Given that Accutane is still available in Canada four years after the medication was voluntarily pulled from US pharmacy shelves, it is not beyond the realm of plausibility to assume that thousands of others might, indeed, become impacted by Accutane effects. CNW reports that according to the Canadian Dermatology Association, the percentage of the total Canadian population afflicted with acne approaches 20 percent. That translates to 5.6 million persons. Of those, in excess of 80 percent of acne sufferers fall within the demographics ranging from 12 to 24 years.

Thus, according to Canadian Accutane attorneys, the potential for the Canadian mass tort is limitless, given the number of Canadians potentially affected and the continued availability of the Accutane medication in Canada.

There is little doubt that Accutane is effective in treating and managing acne - especially problem acne. For this reason, Accutane has evolved to remain a popular defense against the scourge of facial acne. However, the cost associated with eradicating a case of acne could be Accutane colitis.

Twamley’s Accutane lawsuit was filed in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice. The lawsuit alleges negligence on the part of Hoffman-La Roche.