Judge Advocates Consolidation of Accutane Cases
A New Jersey judge has recently proposed that all the lawsuits against Hoffman-La Roche regarding Accutane, a powerful anti-acne drug it formerly produced, be consolidated with the lawsuits against the manufacturers of the generic version of the drug. When the patents for the use of isotretinoin, the active drug in Accutane, expired back in 2002, several other drug manufacturers began producing generic versions of the medication. If consolidation occurs, then lawsuits against Ranbaxy Laboratories, Barr Pharmaceutical, Mylan, Inc., and Genpharm ULC will all be brought into the same arena as the Accuntane lawsuits.
Accutane's history dates all the way back to the 1930s when t was first discovered that isotretinoin, a Vitamin A derivative, could be effective in the treatment of acne. In the early 1980s, Hoffman-La Roche took the idea even further and developed a process to synthetically produce isotretinoin. From this process, Accutane was created and quickly became one of the most effective treatments of severe acne on the market. As a result, it was an incredibly popular drug that was prescribed to hundreds of thousands of people over the years it was produced by Hoffman-La Roche.
Though there were concerns with Accutane upon its release, namely that it could affect the development of a fetus in utero if a pregnant woman came in contact with the drug, the problems were believed to be easily controlled. Additionally, its use in treatment of severe acne was so effective that Dr. Gary Peck, the developer to whom the Accutane breakthrough is credited, was granted awards by both the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of Public Health.
Unfortunately it was not until over a decade after the product's release that people began to realize that regularly taking Accutane for the treatment of acne could result in the development of inflammatory bowel syndrome (IBS). Since then, hundreds of cases of IBS have been connected to Accutane, both in the form of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. In some severe cases of ulcerative colitis, in which open sores develop on the colon of the sufferer, the patient's colon was so far beyond repair that it had to be removed completely.
If you have been harmed by Accutane through the development of ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, or any other form of IBS, then you may have the basis for an Accutane lawsuit. The attorneys at the Rottenstein Law Group are well experienced in dealing with negligent corporations like Hoffman-La Roche and can help you bring your claim.
Accutane's history dates all the way back to the 1930s when t was first discovered that isotretinoin, a Vitamin A derivative, could be effective in the treatment of acne. In the early 1980s, Hoffman-La Roche took the idea even further and developed a process to synthetically produce isotretinoin. From this process, Accutane was created and quickly became one of the most effective treatments of severe acne on the market. As a result, it was an incredibly popular drug that was prescribed to hundreds of thousands of people over the years it was produced by Hoffman-La Roche.
Though there were concerns with Accutane upon its release, namely that it could affect the development of a fetus in utero if a pregnant woman came in contact with the drug, the problems were believed to be easily controlled. Additionally, its use in treatment of severe acne was so effective that Dr. Gary Peck, the developer to whom the Accutane breakthrough is credited, was granted awards by both the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of Public Health.
Unfortunately it was not until over a decade after the product's release that people began to realize that regularly taking Accutane for the treatment of acne could result in the development of inflammatory bowel syndrome (IBS). Since then, hundreds of cases of IBS have been connected to Accutane, both in the form of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. In some severe cases of ulcerative colitis, in which open sores develop on the colon of the sufferer, the patient's colon was so far beyond repair that it had to be removed completely.
If you have been harmed by Accutane through the development of ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, or any other form of IBS, then you may have the basis for an Accutane lawsuit. The attorneys at the Rottenstein Law Group are well experienced in dealing with negligent corporations like Hoffman-La Roche and can help you bring your claim.
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