Pharmaceutical company Roche’s anti-acne medication Accutane has been the subject of thousands of personal injury lawsuits.  Most of these lawsuits have centered on the allegation that Accutane causes inflammatory bowel disease.  The latest Accutane-related lawsuit that Roche will come up against however, will have a Hollywood tinge.  The plaintiff in this lawsuit is a Hollywood actor, who claims that his acting career suffered as a result of injuries from Accutane usage.

The plaintiff here is actor James Marshall who acted in the hit 1992 next movie “A Few Good Men.  ” Marshall had been taking Accutane for acne, and began to suffer from inflammatory bowel disease.  The problem ultimately resulted in doctors having to remove his colon.  That spelled the end of Marshall’s acting career.  He has now filed a personal injury lawsuit against Roche Holdings AG. His lawsuit claims $11 million in damages, and the trial is due to begin this week.

A number of Hollywood stars are expected to show up at the trial to testify that Marshall was well on his way to a successful acting career, before inflammatory bowel disease caused by Accutane put an end to his acting career.  Some of the stars lined up include Martin Sheen, Brian Dennehey and director Rob Reiner.  New Jersey-based Roche continues to insist that for 20 years, it has warned about the risk of inflammatory bowel disease from Accutane usage.

Accutane was introduced in the market in 1982, and since then, has become a blockbuster drug from Roche.  In addition to inflammatory bowel disease and other gastrointestinal diseases, Accutane has also been linked to other conditions, including depression and birth defects.  Roche has lost at least seven Accutane-related personal-injury lawsuits since 2007.  Plaintiffs have been awarded millions of dollars in damages for their losses as a result of Accutane usage.

This lawsuit however, is likely to generate extra publicity and more media attention as a slew of Hollywood big names line up for deposition.  It’s the kind of publicity that Roche could have done without.

Vuk Vujasinovic is a Houston product liability lawyer, representing victims who have been injured from the use of defective products in Texas and nationwide.

Image Courtesy: Flickr – Fillmore

Vuk Vujasinovic is a Board Certified Houston personal injury attorney who practices Houston auto accident and other personal injury cases.

For more info on how Vuk can help you with your potential case please call him at (877) 724-7800 or fill out the contact form on the right.

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