"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.

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