|
| Parker
& Waichman is evaluating Accutane cases where any of the
following injuries have occured. |
|
|
|
 |
Suicidal
Behavior |
|
Birth
Defects |
|
Ulcerative
Colitis |
|
Crohn's
Disease |
|
Inflammatory
Bowel Disorder |
|
Rectal
Bleeding |
|
Abdominal
Pain |
|
Central
Nervous System Injuries |
|
Bone
and Muscle Loss |
|
Cardiovascular
Injuries |
|
Liver
and Kidney Damage |
|
Pancreatitis |
|
Immune
System Disorder |
|
Lupus |
|
Hearing
and Vision Damage |
|
Thyroid
Disorders |
|
|
|
| In
1998, the Food
and Drug Administration advised doctors who prescribe Accutane
to watch their patients for signs of depression. Afterward,
the Hoffman-LaRoche, the maker of Accutane, notified doctors
that the drug ``may cause depression, psychosis, and, rarely,
suicidal ideation, suicide attempts and suicide.'' |
|
| However,
the knowledge of the potential danger associated with Accutane
did not become widely known until a Congressman's son committed
suicide. Rep. Bart Stupak says his 17-year-old son's
suicide earlier this year may be linked to the popular acne
medicine. Bart Stupak Jr., known as "B.J.," shot himself in
the head with his father's gun in the early hours of May 14.
Stupak was popular in school, a football player, and killed
himself after a prom-night party. |
|
| In
assessing how many potential suicide cases could be linked to
Accutane, Rep. Stupak stated, "We are up over 100 reports, that's
just what is coming in to us, so I believe there are probably
over a thousand cases," Stupak said. "The average time is 88
days from when you start taking it, and the effect is very sudden....
You are doing strange things at 3 a.m. and you are dead at 7
a.m." |
|
| The
FDA has received
reports of 66 suicides and 1,373 cases of psychiatric problems
among Accutane users as of early December, 2000 according to
a report in USA Today. Accutane's package warning first stated
potential relationship between Accutane and depression in 1986.
Although French officials required that Hoff-LaRoche add the
risk of suicide to the package insert of the European version
of Accutane in March 1997, the FDA did not require such a change
in the USA until 1999. |
|
| In
early 2001, the FDA
announced that new warning labels and consent forms would be
required for Accutane. The new consent forms will urge patients
to watch for signs of depression, such as feelings of sadness,
irritability, unusual tiredness or appetite loss. |
|
