Compensation paid over acne drug

Taxpayers have paid thousands of dollars in compensation to a group of New Zealanders who fell seriously ill after taking a controversial acne drug.

ACC has confirmed payouts of up to $24,200 have been made to seven people after they developed serious reactions to versions of the drug isotretinoin (Roaccutane/Oratane) for severe acne.

Their claims - among 19 lodged for isotretinoin since the ACC's medical misadventure unit was formed in 1992 - were for injuries including hepatitis, insulin dependency, and complications affecting eyes, skin and stomach.

The figures come as an Australian law firm runs advertisements in New Zealand seeking Kiwis to join a class action against the manufacturer of Roaccutane. The firm says they stand to win millions of dollars if the suit is successful.

Heralded by experts as a wonder drug when it appeared as an acne treatment about 20 years ago, isotretinoin took a blow to its reputation in the 1990s when reports of depression and suicide among teenagers taking Roaccutane - the Roche-manufactured original version of the drug - began to emerge.

However, studies failed to show isotretinoin causes psychiatric illness or suicide, and medical experts and the drug's manufacturers remain adamant there is no link. "There is no evidence at all that Roaccutane is linked to any psychiatric abnormalities," said Dr Stephen Shumack from the Australasian College of Dermatologists. "We're talking about a drug that is literally a lifesaver for people with severe acne."

The drug is far from safe however - a fact dermatologists are careful to warn patients about before prescribing it.

The Ministry of Health's Medsafe website warns that Isotane - the version of isotretinoin currently funded by the Government's drug-funding agency Pharmac - can cause a variety of side effects and is extremely likely to cause birth defects in women who fall pregnant while taking the drug.

In a newspaper advertisement offering to investigate "several pharmaceutical and chemical exposure personal injury claims", Australian law firm Quinn & Scattini is targeting Roaccutane users as well as people who have taken the schizophrenia drug Zyprexa or the anti-inflammatory painkiller Vioxx, withdrawn recently because of dangerous cardiovascular side effects. People exposed to beryllium, a metal that can cause lung cancer when in powder form, are also invited to contact the lawyers.

Quinn & Scattini lawyer Simon Harrison said successful claimants may be entitled to millions of US dollars if it can be proved the US Food and Drug Administration or the manufacturers were negligent in safety testing or communicating the risks to patients. More than 40 New Zealanders have contacted the firm about side effects from Vioxx while four have signalled an interest in bringing a claim for personal injury caused by Roaccutane. None have responded regarding Zyprexa or beryllium.