Online Roaccutane warning

Last updated: Thursday, March 29, 2007 Print People conducting Web searches to buy the acne drug Roaccutane (isotretinoin) online will now be confronted with a US Food and Drug Administration site warning of the dangers of this type of online purchase, the agency announced Wednesday.

"Isotretinoin is a drug approved for the treatment of severe acne that does not respond to other forms of treatment," the FDA said in a statement. "If the drug is improperly used, it can cause severe side effects, including birth defects. Serious mental health problems have also been reported with isotretinoin use."

The new Web page should pop up whenever someone searches for Accutane (the American version of Roaccutane), or any other generic form of isotretinoin, such as Amnesteem, Claravis or Sotret. The page - http://www.fda.gov/buyonline/accutane - warns against using the drug without a doctor's or pharmacist's supervision.

Because the use of isotretinoin is strongly linked to birth defects, the FDA and manufacturers have previously collaborated on the iPLEDGE program, aimed at ensuring that women who use the drug do not become pregnant, while curbing the use of isotretonoin in women who are pregnant. – (HealthDayNews)

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