Accutane is an acne medicine, made by Hoffman-La Roche Inc., Accutane use has been linked to serious illnesses including:
- Crohn’s Disease-symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, mouth sores, vomiting, weight loss, rashes and eye inflammation
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease –symptoms include abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, cramps, weight loss and arthritis
- Ulcerative Colitis-symptoms include diarrhea, weight loss, appetite loss, abdominal pain, blood in stool, and rectal pain
In most cases the symptoms listed above may not appear until long after the patient has stopped taking the drug.
In June 182 the FDA approved the use of Accutane for treatment of severe cystic acne. Researchers have found based on reports submitted to the FDA that of 85 cases of IBD all were either highly probable, probable or possibly caused by Accutane. More than 7000 lawsuits have been filed claiming Accutane related injuries. In 2009 Roche pulled Accutane off of the US market.