Accutane Users Have Won Verdicts Worth More Than $56 million Alleging That Roche Failed To Warn Of The Drug's Risk
A Birmingham-area man won a $25.16 million verdict this month against Switzerland-based Roche Holding AG ("Roche") after claiming its acne medicine led to inflammatory bowel disease. Andrew McCarrell, 38, won the verdict against Roche after a retrial in state court in New Jersey, where a company unit that produced the drug Accutane is based.
McCarrell is a computer technician who has lived in the Birmingham area 13 to 15 years. He testified he got sick after taking Accutane in 1995. He needed five surgeries, including one to remove his colon.
"I never thought it would be like this," McCarrell said. "Never in my wildest dreams."
Six former Accutane users have now won verdicts worth $56 million. All claimed Roche failed to warn of the drug's risks. Roche stopped selling Accutane last year, citing competition from generic formulations and legal costs from defending personal injury suits. Roche faces almost 1,000 other cases.
McCarrell had played small-college football in the Midwest and "was a vibrant healthy guy until he started taking this drug," said his lawyer. "A year after he started taking it, he had his colon removed." McCarrell goes to the bathroom 10 to 20 times a day and "suffers from massive gastrointestinal upset," his lawyer said. "Imagine going though that every day. He and his wife are living day by day."
The lawsuit alleged that Roche had internal documents that said Accutane caused inflammatory bowel disease and did not tell anyone. Indeed, some patients who were prescribed Accutane have allegedly suffered such severe injuries as a result. While Accutane is still on the market, it is the focus of lawsuits nationwide.
If you or someone you know were prescribed Accutane and have suffered serious injuries as a result, please contact us to discuss your legal options.