"The world is
a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because
of the people who don't do anything about it.” Albert Einstein
Hi my name is Andrew Closson, Im
from a New Jersey. I am writing to
the President of Hoffman to reconsider their highly announced drug Accutane
from being put back on the market for US Sale. Together with over 700
signatures I hope Hoffman will review my case and come to a conclusion on the position.
I first started Accutane towards the end of freshman year; Jan. 3, 2012.
I remember I was always worried about my face and didn't like how my face
looked. I would see other kids with perfect skin and wonder to myself "why
can't my skin look like that?" this was the question that haunted me;
leading up to the first dosage of this very powerful drug. When I first heard
or Accutane it was freshman year when my Public Speaking teacher told the class
that we were going to write a persuasive essay and present it to the class. I
came home after that school day and went researching on the computer for topics
that would be good to present to the class. I went across some website and found
some articles on this so-called drug Accutane, also know as Isotretinoin.
When i came across the drug I didn't know a single thing about it until I
asked my parents. My dad didn't know what it was, but heard of it before. My
mom on the other hand knew exactly what it was and was told I would be never
going on that drug. I simply said ok, but still did my project on the subject
anyway. After I presented the topic to the class on how Accutane is a safe drug
and it should be put back on the market (Included at bottom), I began to look
more and more further into what the drug was and what everyone was saying about
it. What I found out was Accutane contained Vitamin A, which is vital in your system
to keep you healthy. Having too much Vitamin A can result in damage to your
body.
Accutane has been on the market since 1982 until it was discontinued in
2009 for business reasons. Hoffman stated in a news release that they were
submitting a request to the FDA to stop producing their highly populated drug. They stood by their word and later released
their last and final statement that stated "We are proud of Accutane, a
product of original Roche research that has been used in the treatment of
severe recalcitrant nodular acne by more than 13 million patients since it was
introduced in 1982". Before Accutane was pulled from the market, the FDA
sent a letter to the President of Hoffman stating that to continue their drug
into the next phase they were to put a picture of a deformed baby on the back
of each package label. The company quickly refused the request, and instead
awarded millions of dollars to “victims”.
Many of the people taking Accutane
had committed suicide from being on the drug; Hoffman did extensive research
into the matter and an independent study done from a base in Canada reported
that it was proven that the percentage of those committing suicide on Accutane
was no greater that the general population. Hoffman was running out of time to
come up with ideas on how to keep the drug on the market, but came short of
answers. Hoffman LeRoche was pounded with cases all across the county and
because of this, had to discontinue. Hoffman awarded millions of dollars to
plaintiffs, because they apparently failed to warn patients about the potential
side effects of this drug. In 2009 as stated previously, Accutane; a highly
loved drug and used by millions was discounted from the market and banned in
the United States.
Today many people don’t know what
Accutane is and how much it can help one person. Accutane should be put back on
the market because Hoffman LeRoche from my perspective has demonstrated that
they know what procedures to take and due to new advances in medicine will see
Accutane a fit drug. Acne is a skin condition that you can either be born with
or not; for some people, all they need to do is wash their face once a day and
their fine; when unfortunately others need products after products to help them
look good each day. Accutane is used when patients who have tried all other
treatments and have failed. In
1982 advancements in medicine were slow and people didn’t know how drugs were
going to react to their body, because their weren’t high tech machines and
doctors around every corner to sense what was going on with your body. Hoffman
LeRoche will be and always has been is a dedicated company striving to help the
American people in treatments for Acne.