Lawyer Steven J. Schwartzapfel says acne drug should have been pulled from the market years ago.

New York, NY, July 23, 2009 -- A New York personal injury lawyer has applauded the withdrawal of the acne drug Accutane from the U.S. marketplace, saying that the action was long overdue.

"The FDA failed the American consumer," said New York attorney Steven J. Schwartzapfel, founding partner of Schwartzapfel Truhowsky Marcus P.C., a NY personal injury law firm. "This drug should have been pulled from the market years ago because it has been associated with severe birth defects, suicide, and inflammatory bowel diseases. A NJ jury awarded more than $2 million to a young adult who took the drug and had to have his colon and rectum removed. "

The 2007 New Jersey verdict was handed down by an Atlantic City jury in McCarrell v. Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., No. ATL-L-1951-03.

Roche Holding AG, the maker of Accutane acne medicine, announced on June 26 that it was removing the drug from the U.S. market in the wake of jury awards of at least $33 million to users who alleged the drug caused their bowel disease.

Accutane entered the market in 1982. Since then, about 13 million people have taken it to help control acne, and some have suffered severe side effects.

In August 2005, the FDA approved a strengthened risk management plan for Accutane and its generic counterpart isotretinoin to make sure women did not become pregnant while taking the medicine because it caused birth defects.

Product information sent out by the manufacturer stated Accutane had been associated with inflammatory bowel disease in patients without prior history of intestinal disorders. In some instances, symptoms reportedly persisted after Accutane treatment was stopped, the manufacturer said.

About Schwartzapfel Truhowsky Marcus P.C.

Schwartzapfel Truhowsky Marcus P.C. is one of the most prominent and well-respected plaintiff's personal injury law firms in New York. With over 150 years of combined experience and highly competent co-counsel throughout the country, the attorneys at Schwartzapfel Partners believe in protecting the rights of those who aren't able to do so for themselves.

The firm concentrates in all types of personal injury litigation, including defective products and drugs, medical malpractice, nursing home neglect, wrongful death, construction accidents, workplace injuries, workers' compensation and Social Security disability.

To contact the law firm, call 1.800.966.4999 or visit the firm's Web site at http://www.fightingforyou.com/.

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