Actor’s career could have been ruined by Accutane

James Marshall, the actor who appeared in A Few Good Men, Gladiator, and (most importantly, I think) Twin Peaks, says that his career was ruined by the acne medication Accutane. Marshall and his lawyer claim that Accutane caused the actor to experience irritable bowel syndrome, a condition that made it impossible for Marshall to perform.

Marshall’s legal team has gathered a collection of well known actors, including Martin Sheen, to testify to the young man’s talent. According to them, Marshall’s career was about to skyrocket when it was cut short by IBS.

Accutane manufacturer Roche Holding AG doesn’t agree. Not that they’re saying Marshall isn’t a talented actor. The company just doesn’t believe that their product caused his IBS. According to Roche Accutane’s lawyers, Marshall had experience symptoms of IBS years before he started taking the acne medication.

A court trial will have to determine who is right.

Unfortunately for Roche Accutane, they have lost all seven suits that have come against them in recent years. That’s not a good sign, guys. You might just want to think about paying Marshall off.

In case you don’t know, Accutane was pulled from pharmacy shelves in 2009. The company says that its decision to pull the drug had nothing to do with lawsuits claiming it had caused IBS. Seems like a mighty coincidence, though, and it doesn’t seem that many people actually believe them.

Whether or not Accutane caused Marshall’s IBS is uncertain. What we do know, however, is that other lawsuits have awarded victims of IBS. Chances are that it will go that way again unless Roche Accutane has some pretty good evidence in their favor.