Accutane Lawsuit Settled for Victim of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

The final defendant in a long-running Accutane lawsuit settled through mediation this week, marking the end of this lawsuit filed by plaintiff and Accutane user Jason Peipert. Dr. Daniel Goran was sued by Peipart for medical malpractice, and settled for an undisclosed amount. Accutane is a controversial prescription acne medication that is no longer available in the U.S. due to myriad accusations and reports of serious side effects, including inflammatory bowel disease, gastrointestinal disorders, ulcerative colitis, and many other abdominal afflictions.

A total of six lawsuits have been settled for a combined $56 million against the makers of Accutane, as well as doctors who prescribed the drug, however there are still hundreds waiting to hit courts. Roche Laboratories, the makers of Accutane, eventually removed the medication from the market in June 2009.

Peipert was prescribed Accutane in the late 1990s and, as a result of the drug’s harmful side effects, developed inflammatory bowel disease. Peipert alleges that Accutane's serious side effects resulted in his IBD and led to several major surgeries and severe pain. Peipert settled his lawsuit against the drug’s inceptor Hoffman-LaRoche, Inc. and Roche Laboratories on March 24.

Peipert's lawsuit was not the only one to be settled this year. Earlier in 2010, Andy McCarrell was awarded $25.16 million by a jury, after he developed chronic ulcerative colitis within one year of finishing his Accutane treatment, and as a result suffered extreme complications from inflammatory bowel disease. McCarrell was eventually forced to have his colon removed. In McCarrell's case it was determined that the makers of the drug failed to properly warn the doctor about the side effects of Accutane.

To date, all six defendants in the settled Accutane lawsuits have lost their cases with a total of $56 million in damages awarded to plaintiffs. In all of the Accutane-related cases, juries determined that the manufacturers shared the blame for not properly warning prescribing doctors about the full dangers of using the acne medication. One of the lawsuits has been overturned upon appeal though.

The makers of Accutane were aware of health risks to women in particular, especially those consider of child-bearing potential. Upon the release of the drug, the company provided accompanying warnings for women that outlined the dangers for pregnant women. Severe birth defects for infants, including damage to the eyes, face, skull, heart, and brain were all possibilities. The company even recommended that women who had their tubes tied still needed to be on birth control when taking Accutane.

Although the drug has been removed from the market, it is still sold in its generic form under the names Amnesteem, Claravis and Sotret.

Accutane was developed by Hoffman-LaRoche Inc. and produced by Roche Laboratories. The medication was available through prescription only as a tool in the battle against acne. The drug was a form of vitamin A that was used to reduce the amount of oil released by oil glands in your skin, as well as aid the skin in the process of renewing itself more quickly. Accutane was used only in severe cases when other medications and treatments proved incapable of combating acne.

If you or a loved one has experienced serious side effects or health complications with Accutane, contact Newsome Law Firm and fill out a case evaluation form today. Our team of attorneys has experience specific to complications associated with prescription medication. Not only can they give you the legal guidance you need, they can help you get the compensation you deserve.
 

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