To date it is estimated that there have been more than 5,000 personal injury lawsuits filed against Roche Pharmaceuticals, the makers of the acne medication, Accutane. Roche Pharmaceuticals has affiliates in other countries and it also does business as "The La Roche Group" and "Hoffman La Roche."

The lawsuits are being filed by patients who suffered side effects after using the acne medication. A 2009 study revealed a direct correlation between Accutane users and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). IBD is a serious intestinal disorder which is characterized by swelling and chronic inflammation of the colon and small intestine.
Accutane has been shown to cause other serious side effects including liver disease, Crohn's disease and colitis. Directly following the use of Accutane, many patients complained of adverse reactions and severe depression. It has also been alleged that Accutane is responsible for an increase in the risk of suicide. This is a claim that Roche Pharmaceuticals denies, although a number of lawsuits have been filed in connection with this issue following the suicide of a patient.

Accutane (isotretinoin) is a synthetic version of Vitamin A. It's used for treatment of severe acne in cases where other treatments failed. Originally, Accutane (isotretinoin) was manufactured to help patients who were undergoing chemotherapy treatments. However, during the research it was noted by scientists that Accutane was also an effective treatment for severe acne.

In an effort to avoid future litigation, Roche Pharmaceutical placed a black box warning on the bottles, cautioning Accutane users of the dangers of adverse side effects and the potential risks to unborn fetuses. The warning was issued to avoid being held legally accountable for causing birth defects. The attempts to warn the public that Accutane was linked to IBD, depression and other intestinal diseases didn't work. The manufacturer was forced to officially remove Accutane from the US market in June 2009.

If there is any good that has come out of this, it is the fact that many former Accutane patients have been awarded substantial financial compensation for medical treatment and pain and suffering.

If you or a loved one is suffering from the long term side effects of Accutane, you should seek immediate legal representation from a personal injury attorney. The lawsuits being filed against Roche Pharmaceuticals are due to the exhaustive list of known side effects that include inflammatory bowel disease, suicide, and birth defects. Litigation against Roche Pharmaceuticals is extensive and ongoing.