Atlantic City, NJA settlement has been reached in a lawsuit filed by a man who claimed he suffered serious side effects after using Accutane. The plaintiff, Jason Peipert, alleged the acne medication caused him to develop inflammatory bowel disease.
The settlement was reportedly reached on March 24, 2010, after Peipert and Roche Laboratories Inc and Hoffman-LaRoche Inc entered mediation. The terms of the settlement, including the amount, are confidential.
Peipert has also filed a malpractice lawsuit against his doctor, alleging that the doctor was negligent in prescribing Accutane (known generically as isotretinoin).
Accutane is used for patients with severe nodular and/or inflammatory acne that does not respond to other treatments. It works by reducing the amount of oil released by oil glands in the skin. However, a study presented to the American College of Gastroenterology in 2009 found that patients who took isotretinoin were at increased risk of inflammatory bowel disease, kidney and liver problems and ulcerative colitis.
Some patients who developed inflammatory bowel disease required multiple surgeries and removal of part or all of their colon. Many patients who took Accutane were teenagers at the time they took the medication.
In the 1980s Accutane was linked to severe birth defects and was reportedly linked to suicides. The drug was removed from the market in June 2009 at the request of its manufacturers.
Meanwhile, Health Canada warned prescribers and the public about the risk of severe skin reactions, including Stevens Johnson Syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis stemming from use of Accutane.
Earlier this year, plaintiff Andy McCarrell filed a lawsuit against Hoffman-LaRoche, alleging that McCarrell developed chorinc ulcerative colitis approximately one year after finishing his Accutane treatment. Complications from inflammatory bowel disease resulted in the removal of his colon.
Evidence was presented during the trial that Roche possessed patient reports proving that Accutane triggered symptoms of IBD—symptoms that reportedly went away when Accutane was discontinued. The jury found that the defendants failed to adequately warn about the risk of inflammatory bowel disease and awarded $25.16 million in compensatory damages.
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