Indiana Accident News

Accutane drugmaker Roche on the wrong end of $12.9 million verdict

Posted on Dec 23, 2008

Keller & Keller LLP has learned that a New Jersey jury has recently levied verdicts totalling nearly $13 million against Roche, maker of the acne drug Accutane.  The jury found Roche guilty for their failure to provide a stronger warning that their drug could cause, among other health concerns, severe bowel problems.  This decision is the latest in a string of favorable lawsuits for plaintiffs seeking damages against Roche.

In this most recent decision, the jury found that three plaintiffs were stricken with severe inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) as a direct result of being prescribed Accutane.  The plaintiffs, Kelly Mace, 25, Jordan Speisman, 27, and Lance Sager 28, all of Flordia, had been prescribed the drug while in their teens to treat adolescent acne. Each of the three continue to have lingering health problems, and two face an increased risk of developing colon cancer.

Roche has defended their drug by claiming that millions of Americans suffer from IBD and have never taken or been prescribed Accutane.  As well, they claim that the window for people to develop IBD rests between the ages of 15-35, which happens to be the timeframe in which the three plaintiffs in this case were stricken with the disease.

Hook & Bolton and Beggs & Lane, along with Seeger Weiss, attorneys for the plaintiffs, maintained that Roche failed to warn patients of the increased risk that they faced while taking Accutane.  The plaintiffs attorneys further maintained that Roche knew of the drug's capability of producing severe bowel problems, yet failed to address these issues with a stronger, more prominent warning label. 

Keller & Keller LLP works cooperativley with Hook & Bolton on Accutane litigation, and our firm views this latest verdict as a favorable outcome leading toward future case advancement for our clients that have suffered from the effects of Accutane.

back to top

Disclaimer

WHAT'S MY CASE WORTH?