Accutane lawsuits

By: Aaron Kelly | Posted: 06th January 2011

Accutane is a prescription drug that is intended to treat severe nodular acne, however it was commonly used to treat all forms of acne, including moderate to mild cases. Unfortunately many people have suffered horrible side effects from this powerful acne medication. These side effects include Crohn's disease, IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease), ulcerative colitis, birth defects, and even psychiatric complications. These horrible side effects have motivated people in the recent past to file an Accutane lawsuit.

Crohn's disease, which is a form of IBD is a disorder in which the digestive tract is inflamed, which most often affects the lower part of the person's small intestine. Common symptoms of Crohn's disease include diarrhea, abdominal pain, and stomach cramps.

Accutane ulcerative colitis is another form of IBD and is similar to Crohn's disease however, this disorder is different because it causes inflammation deeper in the intestinal wall. Ulcerative colitis causes inflammation and ulcers, or sores, in the rectum and colon's lining. Long term side effects of Accutane involving IBD can be found in various parts of the person's digestive system, such as the person's mouth, esophagus, colon, and small intestine.

Accutane was manufactured by Hoffman La Roche Pharmaceutical Company, which made it in a pill form, however they stopped producing it because of a drug recall in 2009. The scary thing is, many other manufacturers are still making this medicine, they are just using different names for it. And health care professionals are still prescribing it to their patients. The FDA did require the medication to have a black box warning though.

Other names that this medication is being manufactured under include:
>Isotretinoin
>Oratane
>Isotret
>Clarus
>Anmesteem
>Roaccutane
>Izotek
>Decutan
>Claravis
>Isotane

Despite of the recall of Accutane in 2009, people who used this prescription drug are still experiencing its long term side effects. Because of this, people are looking to the help of an Accutane lawyer to help them understand their legal rights.

To date, more than 1,000 class action type lawsuits have been taken to state and federal court. People have brought the lawsuits against La Roche, and against the medical providers who prescribed the medicine. In most cases the lawsuit was stating that La Roche did not adequately notify its customers of the various dangerous side effects that this drug could cause. The first six suits resulted in the company losing and the verdicts totaled to about $56 million dollars. The lawsuits were much more successful when the people who took the medication did so before the black box warning was established.

If you or a loved one has taken this powerful prescription drug, then you should consult your lawyer to see if you have an Accutane lawsuit. There are some lawyers available who operate on a contingency basis, which means that you do not have to pay any legal fees or expenses unless you win compensation in your case. Currently there are no national Accutane lawsuits so right now claims are being filed on an individual basis.
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Tags: mild cases, small intestine, digestive tract, digestive system, health care professionals, accutane, stomach cramps, crohn s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis, abdominal pain, acne medication