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Some 70 lawsuits have been filed against Hoffman-LaRoche, the drugmaker responsible for producing Accutane, a controversial acne medication consumers claim provokes a wild rash of adverse reactions:
- Suicides
- Depression
- Gastrointestinal injuries
- Birth defects
The hardest hit so far against Hoffman-LaRoche: Testimony from a company doctor in a federal hearing that the drugmaker ignored his recommendations that Accutane users needed to be monitored for depression and the antibiotic should have included a label to warn users.
You may also remember Accutane was one of the drugs mentioned by my new hero Dr. David Graham in his testimony last month in front of Congress.
The lead feature in yesterday's USA Today documents some of the heartbreaking cases of people who suffered from taking Accutane, including one who has been unable to work since most of his colon was removed to treat inflammatory bowel disease.
Fact is, acne affects most people at some point in their lives and is the most common skin disease addressed by dermatologists. However, conventional approaches to treating acne, such as Accutane, merely focus on treating the symptoms and NEVER actually address the cause. Antibiotics invariably kill beneficial bacteria in the colon and set the stage for problems with chronic yeast infections. The best and safest way to control acne is by optimizing your insulin levels through avoiding grains and sugars.
You may be wondering why doctors typically don't tell you that diet influences acne. Physicians cannot sell you a healthy diet, and they are under strong influence by the drug companies to prescribe expensive and sometimes harmful topical acne creams and antibiotics.
USA Today December 7, 2004