Accutane Lawsuit Statute Of Limitations

by admin on June 21st, 2010

Accutane is a prescription for acne. It was created by Hoffmann-La Roche, a United States drug manufacturer. Accutane was initially prescribed for people with serious acne that did not respond to other treatments, but it has been more frequently prescribed in the last 25 years for less severe acne. This practice has been criticized because it has caused long term effects, which has led to serious problems for many people. Below is some more information about the drug and Accutane lawsuit statute of limitations information.

How does Accutane work?
Accutane comes in pill form and is a Vitamin A derivative. It is administered for 15 to 20 weeks and then stopped. Accutane stops acne by affecting the ways it develops. First it dramatically reduces the size of the skin’s oil glands from 25% to over 55%, and even more dramatically reduces the amount of oil the skin produces by about 80%. Accutane also reduces the amount of acne bacteria that lives in skin oil, since it reduces the amount of the skin oil. Third, it reduces the speed at which the skin produces skin cells inside the pore, which helps the pores from becoming clogged. Finally, it has anti-inflammatory properties. Accutane boasts that it achieves partial or complete clearance of acne in about 95% of patients who complete a cycle. However, it has also caused serious health problems which have, in some cases, lead to an Accutane lawsuit.

Accutane FDA Warning
The FDA has required a black box warning be put on all containers of Accutane, warning of all risks associated with the drug. A black box warning is the FDA’s strictest warning.

Accutane Risks
Accutane has caused serious side effects in some patients, including inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis), liver damage, birth defects, suicidal thoughts, and severe depression.

Accutane Lawsuit Statute of Limitations Information
People can file a lawsuit against the manufacturer if they do not adequately inform the patient of the side effects of Accutane, and the patient later develops a serious side effect. There are important deadlines for filing a claim that depend on a number of factors including, but not limited to the state you live in, when you took the medication and when you started having side effects. Because of the complex nature of these deadlines, it is highly recommended that you speak to an attorney familiar with the filing deadlines to discuss if you are able to file a lawsuit.

People who have suffered serious Accutane side effects long term can also file a lawsuit against Hoffmann-La Roche. To be successful, plaintiffs must prove that they were not warned of the serious risks of Accutane, which generally means that they took Accutane before the black box warning label was put on the Accutane package. Recently, in February 2010, a man was awarded $25 million in a lawsuit against Hoffmann-La Roche for failing to warn of side effects, after he developed inflammatory bowel disorder. In 2009, Hoffman-La Roche discontinued manufacturing the medication (Accutane recall 2009) because of that company’s dwindling market share, but it can still be held accountable for the times when it did manufacture Accutane.