Accutane Lawsuits Continue to Mount in New Jersey State Court

There are now more than 7,000 Accutane lawsuits pending in New Jersey state court, which allege that the makers of the acne medication failed to adequately warn about the risk of serious and debilitating bowel problems. 

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, and the number of complaints filed in the state has more than doubled over the last year.

The first lawsuit over bowel problems from Accutane was filed in New Jersey in September 2003. While the number of cases pending in the state hit the 3,000 mark early last year, a case list released earlier this month indicates that 7,042 lawsuits are now included as part of the the New Jersey Accutane litigation.

All of the complaints involve similar allegations that the popular acne drug carried inadequate warnings that side effects of Accutane may increase risk of debilitating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, which could develop years after the medication is used.

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

Several Accutane trials have already occurred in New Jersey state court, with a number of multi-million dollar verdicts being returned for damages caused by Accutane.