Accutane is the brand name for the drug "isotretinion”. Accutane
is prescribed for acne, a serious skin condition often occurring in
adolescents. There is no generic version of Accutane available for
acne-sufferers.
Accutane has come under the scrutiny of the Food and Drug
Administration largely due to its links to birth defects. Yet more
recently, many of the Accutane lawsuits have accused Accutane’s
manufacturer, Hoffman-La Roche, of failing to perform adequate
clinical trials to evaluate a possible link between Accutane and
suicide attempts.
In 1997, a French study of Accutane's association with
depression led the French health authorities to require "suicide
attempt" be added to Accutane's side effects. According to FDA
reports, Accutane may cause depression, psychosis, suicide
attempts and suicide. Discontinuing Accutane therapy may not be
sufficient to stop these effects. Feelings of depression may be
episodic, but include loneliness, sadness, loss of energy, irritability
and change in sleep pattern.
