Roche to Pay $18 Million in Accutane IBD Lawsuits

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July 2, 2012 – Last month, pharmaceutical giant Roche Holding AG was ordered to pay a total of $18 million to settle a pair of lawsuits claiming the company’s blockbuster acne drug Accutane caused the plaintiffs’ inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The ruling came about a week after European health regulators determined that Roche had systematically failed to evaluate reports of safety issues involving its wide variety of medications. The company has now lost nine of 13 lawsuits brought by former Accutane users that have gone to trial since April 2007.

Free Accutane Lawsuit Evaluation: If you or a loved one has been injured by Accutane, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing a suit against the manufacturer of Accutane and we can help.

What’s the problem?

A New Jersey jury deliberated for about six hours before finding that Roche was negligent in failing to adequately warn Kathleen Rossitto and Riley Wilkinson that Accutane has the potential to cause IBD. Both plaintiffs were awarded $9 million in compensatory damages. The case is Kathleen Rossitto v. Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., ATL-l-7481-10-MT, New Jersey Superior Court, Atlantic County (Atlantic City).

Accutane is the brand name for the drug isotretinoin, which was originally developed by Roche for treating severe cystic (nodular) acne. The medication is also marketed under the names Roaccutane, Amnesteem, Claravis and Sotret. Since it was first approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 1982, approximately 16 million people were prescribed Accutane before it was recalled in 2009 after juries awarded millions in damages over bowel-disease claims.

In addition to being linked to inflammatory bowel disease, Accutane has also been associated with the following serious side effects:

• Ulcerative Colitis
• Crohn’s Disease
• Rectal Bleeding
• Abdominal Pain
• Central Nervous System Injuries
• Bone and Muscle Loss
• Cardiovascular Injuries
• Liver and Kidney Damage
• Pancreatitis
• Immune System Disorder
• Lupus
• Hearing and Vision Damage
• Thyroid Disorders
• Suicidal Thoughts & Behavior

Do I Have an Accutane Lawsuit?

The Product Liability & Defective Drug Litigation Group at our law firm is an experienced team of trial lawyers that focus on the representation of plaintiffs in Accutane lawsuits. We are handling individual litigation nationwide and currently accepting new side effects cases in all 50 states.

Free Accutane Lawsuit Evaluation: If you or a loved one has been injured by Accutane, you should contact our law firm immediately. You may be entitled to compensation by filing an Accutane injury suit and we can help.