Dangerous Drug Alert: Acne Drug Accutane
What is Accutane?
Accutane, known generically as isotretinoin, is a prescription drug used to treat severe cases of nodular acne. Manufactured by Roche, Accutane is prescribed when other acne treatments have failed.
Possible Side Effects of Taking Accutane
- Severe birth defects: Female patients must take two forms of birth control for one month before being prescribed Accutane. They must also take a monthly pregnancy test while using the drug due to the risk of serious birth defects.
- Depression and suicide: The reported rate of depression among Accutane users is 1.5 times higher than non-Accutane users.
Accutane Controversy
In 1997, Roche's Dr. Peter Schifferdecker recommended that Accutane's U.S. label warn that users "should be supervised for signs of depression during therapy and, if necessary, referred for appropriate treatment." This recommendation was not followed by Roche.
In November 2004, Food & Drug Administration (FDA) researcher David Graham included Accutane as one of the five drugs that should be studied for withdrawal from the market.
Stronger FDA Warning For Accutane
In 2006, the FDA started a program called iPledge that tracks all patients, physicians, pharmacists and drug distributors in a database. In addition, all users of Accutane must follow strict rules in order to obtain the powerful acne drug. Those who do not follow the rules risk being denied refills of Accutane.
Get Help from Lawyers Who Understand Dangerous Drug Cases
If you, or someone you care about, were hurt because of taking Accutane, you need to act quickly. When our law firm gets involved with your case, we immediately get to work investigating the cause of your drug reaction and fighting for your legal rights to fair compensation.
Get Answers to Your Questions:
- Do you have a case? Find out the criteria we use to determine if you have a legal claim.
- Do you need a lawyer? See how hiring a lawyer gets you a better outcome.
- How much will it cost? You pay nothing unless we win money for you.
Accutane News
Injured Because You Took Accutane? Contact Us Now For a Free Evaluation of Your Legal Case.
Call us toll-free at 1-866-943-3427 or get online legal help, and we'll give you a free evaluation of your claim.
Please note: All of our lawyers are licensed to practice in the state of Pennsylvania. We also have lawyers licensed to practice in Ohio and West Virginia and we associate with experienced attorneys in other states. In addition, all drug-related litigation involves co-counsel.
