Acne Drug Company Goes Up Against Stars

Hollywood stars Martin Sheen, Brian Dennehy and director Rob Reiner will testify in court this week for a case against Roche Holding AG, on behalf of their friend, fellow actor James Marshall.

Hollywood stars Martin Sheen, Brian Dennehy and director Rob Reiner will testify in court this week for a case against Roche Holding AG, on behalf of their friend, fellow actor James Marshall.

Actor James Marshall played the character Louden Downey in the move A Few Good Men, which was released in 1992. Marshall asserts that his promising acting career has been derailed due to his use of the drug Accutane. Marshall is asking for compensation of $11 million dollars in compensation.

Fellow actors Dennehy, Sheen and director Reiner will testify that Marshall had a promising career and was headed for stardom. However, because of taking Accutane, Marshall experienced serious bowel problems that necessitated his bowel being removed.

One of the most common and debilitating side effects that users experience is inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD. This disease is causes painful swelling of the intestinal tract. Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis are often thought to be different types of IBD.

This disease can be extremely debilitating. There are wide range of symptoms that one can encounter with IBD, which can also include arthritis, and inflammation of the eye and skin. It is also considered to be a major risk factor for the development of colon cancer. Once a person contracts IBD, they experience flare-ups that arise unpredictably. This causes a great deal of stress and worry in the part of the individual, leaving them in a constant state of worry when the next flare-up will strike. While symptoms can be treated with various medications, there is no cure for this disease.

Roche argues that users of the drug were adequately warned of its dangers. These warnings were posted on the label for more than 20 years. Despite these black box warnings, they are currently 1000s of lawsuits pending brought by people suffering serious and debilitating side effects as a result of using the drug Accutane.

Roche has since pulled the drug off the market, in June of 2009, after it has lost millions of dollars in judgments brought by people injured by Accutane, asserting bowel injuries as well as other ailments.

Roche has lost the last seven cases that have been brought against them. New Jersey and Florida courts have ordered Roche to pay 45 million dollars to the defendants in these cases.

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.

Gastrointestinal Disorders

People that have taken Accutane appear to have an increased risk of experiencing some variation of inflammatory bowel disease, also known as IBD, according to the American Journal of Gastrointerology, 2006. Several other disorders come under the category of IBD, including Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis. These diseases are all connected with chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms of these disorders include chronic diarrhea, abdominal cramping, bloody stools, weight loss and loss of appetite.

Liver and Cardiovascular Side Effects

Accutane appears to raise the danger of heart and liver disease. Tests have been conducted that show Accutane users have abnormally high levels of liver enzymes, triglycerides and cholesterol. While physicians were initially aware of this fact, the levels are higher and more commonly experienced than originally anticipated.

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Jerry Green is the author of this article on Accutane Lawsuit.

Find more information about Accutane Lawsuit Settlements here.