Home
Roche has decided to stop selling brand name Accutane.
Thursday, July 30th, 2009
I was surprised to read that Roche Pharmaceuticals, the makers of Accutane, decided to stop selling the name brand of the product in late June. The company cited declining sales as their reason. Since 2002, generic forms of Accutane (isotretinoin) have been available and it turns out over 95% of the time doctors prescribe a generic. Roche’s decision to stop selling also came shortly after a jury awarded $33 million in damages to people who claimed Accutane caused bowel disease.
What does this mean for us? Well, it gives me pause because yet again Accutane’s side effects are in the spotlight. While some people with recalcitrant, widespread, deeply scarring acne regard Accutane as a godsend, I would have to think twice before agreeing to have a loved one of mine take it for anything less than severe acne.
For people who choose to take it, isotretinoin, the active ingredient in Accutane, is still available in its generic form. However, that brings up another concern. Are generics reliable? This study performed in 2006 cast doubt over the quality of generic forms of isotretinoin. It is only one study, and more are needed, but I’d like to see further oversight and studies performed to ensure product efficacy. Let’s keep our eye closely on this issue.
