Accutane Lawsuit Filings in New Jersey State Court Hit 3,000

There are now at least 3,000 Accutane lawsuits that have been filed in New Jersey state court alleging that makers of the acne medication failed to adequately warn about the risk of serious and debilitating bowel problems from Accutane.

All of the New Jersey state court lawsuits over Accutane and generic versions have been consolidated as a mass tort in Atlantic County before Judge Carol Higbee.

According to the most recent case list released by the New Jersey courts, the first Accutane lawsuit was filed on September 23, 2004 and the 3,000th case was filed earlier this month, on February 9, 2011. All of the cases involve similar allegations, that the drug makers failed to adequately research the potential side effects of Accutane or warn about the potential risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

The number of Accutane lawsuit filings in New Jersey has grown dramatically over the past nine months, more than tripling since May 2010.

Accutane (isotretinoin) has been used by more than 16 million people worldwide since it was first introduced in the early 1980s as a treatment for severe acne. Roche discontinued Accutane in June 2009 due to the increasing costs associated with the Accutane litigation, but a number of generic versions remain available under names such as Claravis, Sotret, Amnesteem and generic isotretinoin.

So far, Roche has lost all six cases that have reached a jury, with millions of dollars in Accutane compensation being awarded to individuals who have suffered bowel problems from Accutane.

Following a 2007 trial in New Jersey state court, Roche was able to successfully overturn a jury’s award of $2.62 million in compensation awarded to a man who developed inflammatory bowel problems. However, that case was retried earlier this year and another New Jersey jury awarded the same man more than $25 million.

In August, the New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division reversed an Accutane damage award of $10.5 million originally issued at a 2008 trial. That case was remanded back to the trial court for a new trial.

A trial is scheduled to begin this month before Judge Higbee involving three Accutane suits, including one brought by actor James Marshall, who portrayed a marine on trial for murder in “A Few Good Men.” A number of well-known Hollywood stars, such as Martin Sheen, Brian Dennehy and Rob Reiner, are expected to testify on behalf of Marshall. Marshall claims that a severe Accutane bowel injury resulted in the removal of his colon, ruining his acting career.

The number of Accutane complaints filed in New Jersey has continued to increase as former users discover that there may be a connection between their bowel problems and Accutane. Awareness of the link has increased following news coverage of several Accutane trials and television advertisements by Accutane lawyers who are reviewing potential lawsuits.