New Study Strengthens Evidence of Accutane Link to IBD

Chapel Hill, NCAccutane is no longer available in the US, but its memory lingers on in thousands of Americans afflicted with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other side effects of the acne medication. Nearly 1000 lawsuits are pending against Accutane manufacturer Roche—a major factor in the company's decision to discontinue the distribution of Accutane in the US last June.

Recent developments include a new study conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, which suggests that Accutane users are four times more likely to develop ulcerative colitis. Researchers also discovered that the risk of developing ulcerative colitis rose in relation to the size of the Accutane dose.

Published March 30 in the American Journal of Gastroenterology and summarized in the April 7 issue of AboutLawsuits.com, the study looked at data from 87 health insurance plans and found nearly 8,200 individuals who had been diagnosed with IBD.

While the chance of developing ulcerative colitis remains small, and the findings do not prove that Accutane causes ulcerative colitis, the revelations nonetheless strengthen evidence of a causal relationship between Accutane and IBD.

In February the Canadian health authority, Health Canada, issued a warning with regard to severe skin reactions associated or linked to Accutane, including Stevens Johnson Syndrome. Health Canada identified at least 66 reports of Accutane skin reactions, two of which resulted in death. Accutane is still available in Canada.

Roche may have already pulled Accutane from the US market, but the legal hangover could remain for some time. Juries have found for the plaintiffs in all six actions so far and have awarded a total of $56 million to date—although an appeals court in Florida overturned a $7.2 award in one of the verdicts.

Earlier this year a New Jersey jury awarded $25.16 million to an Alabama man who claimed that use of Accutane led to his IBD. Plaintiffs in other lawsuits accuse the Roche of failing to adequately warn about the potential for Accutane side effects.

Accutane was available in the US from the early 1980s until 2009 and was used by some 16 million people around the globe.