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Controversial Acne Drug Could Be Linked to Tampa Crash
By Jason Pierce
CNSNews.com Staff Writer
January 10, 2002
(CNSNews.com) - Authorities are investigating whether the 15-year-old student pilot who crashed an airplane into
a skyscraper in Tampa Bay, Fla., Saturday, may have been taking the acne drug Accutane, which lists depression and suicidal
tendencies among its possible side effects.
Authorities have not confirmed whether or not Charles Bishop was actually
taking the drug at the time. However, some people are looking to Accutane as a possible reason why Bishop, who was described
to be normal and likeable by friends and teachers, suddenly decided to kill himself.
Accutane has been in the headlines
before for its supposed side effects, and in the fall of 2000, it was the subject of congressional hearings led by Rep. Bart
Stupak (D-Mich.). Stupak's son committed suicide earlier that year while taking Accutane. Rep. Stupak has scheduled additional
hearings for this year.
"Since 1985, researchers have concluded that Accutane affects the central nervous system,
including the adult human brain," Stupak said. "To what extent and why Accutane adversely affects some people and
not others remains unknown.
"In the meantime, I will continue my investigation in preparation for congressional
hearings on Accutane to be held this spring," he said.
Since its introduction into the U.S. market in 1982,
Accutane has been monitored very closely. Early on, it was learned that babies born to women who became pregnant while taking
Accutane were likely to suffer severe deformities.
As a result of the finding, every female patient who takes gets
a prescription for the drug is warned to avoid pregnancy while taking it. Many doctors require female patients to go on two
types of birth control, and they also are encouraged to abstain from sex altogether.
However, studies done on the
drug so far offer no hard evidence on whether it causes psychosis, or suicidal tendencies.
The FDA reports that from
1982 to 2000, 147 people taking Accutane have committed suicide or were hospitalized for trying to commit suicide.
Liam
Grant, founder and head of the Accutane/Roaccutane Action Group based in Dublin, Ireland, has been pushing for more studies
on Accutane since his son committed suicide in 1998 while on the drug. He said he has no doubt that there are psychological
side effects to the drug.
"We want to know what, why, how - what changes in the brain, simply because we want
to know the changes that occur in the brain, and we could get treatment for these and thousands of people that are suffering
the psychiatric defects," Grant said. "The only people that can do anything about it are [lawmakers in Washington]."
Grant, who has presented evidence of psychiatric effects of Accutane to the FDA, said that licenses in the U.S. require
the drug to be used in last-case scenarios. However, he said, almost 75 percent of users have "mild to minor" acne
cases.
He said psychiatric tests should be performed along with other tests Accutane patients undergo.
"This
drug is sold to kids 13 to 23 years old, which are very formidable ages, and they should be tested for depression the first
and every month throughout the treatment," Grant said. "If they already have to undergo other tests, like pregnancy
tests and blood tests, why can't they undergo psychiatric tests?"
However, Gail Safian, spokesperson for the
Roche Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of Accutane, said there has been no study that says the drug, in any way, leads to
any psychological problems.
"There have been numerous studies done by both the company and independent researchers
who are experts in psychology, and they have not been able to prove there is any cause-and-effect relationship between Accutane
and suicide," Safian said.
Jennifer Hansen, a 21-year-old patient currently on Accutane, has kept an on-line
journal since she began the treatment in September. She stands by the drug, saying that now, in her last month of treatment,
she is completely clear of the cystic acne she had when she started college.
"This medicine has given me my
life back, as it has done to many other kids and adults around the world," she said. "It is the only drug that is
effective enough to clear most people, and is the closest thing to a cure that we have."
Hansen said she never
had the psychiatric side effects that many attach to Accutane, and she doesn't think it was the impetus behind Bishop's actions.
"I never once experienced depression, suicidal thoughts or anything of the sort. In fact, I am now confident,
happy and very excited about life, I no longer feel inferior and can actually look people in the eyes," Hansen said.
"To be on Accutane, a person must have the severest form of acne. This alone will make a person depressed,
anti-social, and lead to a lack of self-confidence. This, in severe cases, could make any person depressed and in some cases
suicidal," she said.
"It is my belief that people with acne are more likely to commit suicide, not just
people on Accutane," Hansen said.
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