An 10.5 million Accutane lawsuit verdict has been vacated by a New Jersey state appeals court citing that the verdict was achieved in a trial where Roche was “unduly impeded” from offering numerical proof that could have altered the jury’s decision.
The recently vacated verdict had been awarded to a woman who claimed that her use of the acne medication Accutane, (formerly sold by Roche) caused her to develop inflammatory bowel disease at the age of 15, which eventually lead to the removal of her colon at age 21.
Roche said in a statement that they were pleased with ruling and called the verdict “the result of an unfair trial.”
Roche maintains that that there is no scientific evidence of a causal relationship between the use of the acne medication Accutane and the development of inflammatory bowel disease, although the drug has carried a warning for the condition for over 20 years.
This may not be all bad news for the plaintiffs. Another Accutane verdict ($2.6 million) was overturned for similar reasons by the same court last year. On retrial the jury awarded the plaintiff $25 million.
Roche is facing thousands of lawsuits of ailments allegedly caused by Accutane. Most Accutane lawsuits claim that Roche failed to provide adequate warnings about the risks associated with the use of Accutane. Research has linked Accutane to inflammatory bowel disease, and other serious gastrointestinal conditions like ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.
Roche discontinued sales of Accutane in June of 2009, but insists that mounting lawsuits and safety concerns were not the reason for discontinuing sales of the drug.
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