Accutane Recall in U.S. Was Not Due to Safety Concerns: FDA

Federal regulators have determined that an Accutane recall issued last year was not due to safety problems with the acne, despite mounting concerns about serious and debilitating cases of inflammatory bowel disease among users. 

The FDA issued a notice in the Federal Register, announcing that it has found that neither safety nor effectiveness were the reason for Accutane’s withdrawal from the market last year. However, the acne drug was voluntarily removed by Roche amid mounting Accutane lawsuits alleging that side effects of the drug increase the risk of inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and other serious problems.

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. Although Roche discontinued the drug in June 2009, a number of generic versions remain available under a number of names, such as Claravis, Sotret, Amnesteem and generic isotretinoin.

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The determination means that the FDA does not consider the drug’s removal from the market as a recall, and will not remove approval of the drug. Generic manufacturers can continue to file abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) that essentially just need to show that their drugs are bioequivalent, effectively the same formula, as the original Accutane. If the FDA had determined that Accutane was withdrawn due to safety reasons, it would have removed its approval of the drug for acne treatment, meaning that anyone who wanted to introduce a similar drug would have to file a new drug application (NDA). An NDA would require extensive clinical testing.

Roche faces nearly 1,000 lawsuits over inflammatory bowel disease from Accutane, which involve allegations that the drug maker failed to adequately warn users about the risk of debilitating bowel problems from Accutane, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. The company has lost all six Accutane bowel disease trials that have reached a jury so far, with verdicts totalling $56 million.

In April, a study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology found that Accutane side effects quadruple the risk of ulcerative colitis. Researchers found that not only were those taking Accutane four times more likely to develop ulcerative colitis, but they also determined that the chance of developing the bowel disorder rose in relation to the size of the Accutane dose, strengthening the evidence of a causal relationship.

3 Comments

  • SusanJanuary 23, 2013 at 6:45 am

    I'm 21 yrs old and just had my stomach removed Because if stomach lesions. I took Acutane 3 yrs ago and 6 months after I stopped , I started having Digestive issues . If you're having stomach Problems , insist in an endoscopy. It saved my life

  • HetiJune 18, 2012 at 5:21 pm

    I would like to thank you for bringing this to the attiotenn of everyone. My boyfriend is one that suffers from this and he is only 22. He can bearly get up some mornings and he is no longer able to do any sports or any activities without the pain. Thank you for bringing this up! All the support to help get ride of this terrible disease is amazing.. thank you!

  • pennyMarch 29, 2011 at 5:24 am

    my daughter took generic accutane -Claravis for two years now has bad stomach problems like gas,bloating,feeling full even when havent eaten,stomach pains.i feel this was the cause.

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