Acne drug Accutane nothing but a massive pain

Acne is usually assumed to be a skin condition that is thought to be primarily restricted to teenagers. However, it may come as a surprise to learn that spots can show up in adults too! In fact, 80% of people between the ages of 11 to 30 are affected by acne, with 5% of women and 1% of men over the age of 25 being estimated to suffer from severe form of acne. It is therefore no surprise that Medical Specialists Pharmacy is constantly experiencing an astronomical number of patients requesting effective acne treatments such as Dianette, Spironolactone and Retin-A Gel 0.01%.

One unlucky adult though had an unfortunate experience with the acne treatment he decided to try, and was so irate he has now decided to go all the way to the European Union to get his case heard and is raging about its side effects.  38-year-old Jason O’Sullivan from Ireland used the prescription drug ‘Accutane’ for a skin complaint all the way back in 1998.

After just nine days O’Sullivan voluntary took himself off the course of treatment after suffering from swelling to his face and head. He also says he was struck down with muscular and joint pain, headaches, and subsequently continued to be plagued with chronic fatigue.

Jason now hopes to get the acne drug completely banned in his native Ireland after furiously complaining that he has not been able to work as a heavy machinery driver since he first took Accutane fourteen years ago. In addition, he says there are more than 6,000 fellow countrymen who are suffering from the side effects of the drug.

To support his complaint, O’Sullivan has managed to receive the backing of Fine Gael MEP Seán Kelly, and the pair now hopes that the case will be taken into consideration by the EU Petitions Committee.

O’Sullivan says, “I want to make people aware of the possible side effects of this drug, which was used originally in chemotherapy.”  Manufactured by Swiss company Roche Holding AG, Accutane first entered the market in 1982, but the drug was hauled from the US market in 2009 after juries awarded more than $33m (€26.6m; £21.13m) in compensation to users who blamed the drug for causing their bowel disease. Accutane has also been taken off the market in 11 other countries, including Denmark, Austria, France, Germany, Spain and Portugal.