October 3, 2007. 11:10 a.m.
 Accutane Made Me Do It.

 I was interviewed this morning by WLS-TV in Chicago about  
the case of a man who admitted to killing his dermatologist, claiming that  
the acne medication Accutane made him do it. I referred to our  
study of 28 acne patients that showed that four months of treatment with  
accutane (but not antibiotics) resulted in  
a reduction in function of a brain area involved in mood  
and behavior called the orbitofrontal cortex.  
There are also a number of cases of depression,  
suicide, violence and aggression associated with Accutane use,  
including "challenge-rechallenge" cases.  
In addition there is a well established neuroscience of the retinoids  
(a class of compounds of which Accutane is a member)  
although the manufacturer of Accutane  
(Roche) continues to deny a causal association  
and make arguments against an association as well as  
other effects to silence the issue. In fact, as reported in  
USA Today last year, one of the scientists working for Roche stated in a  
deposition that scientist Peter Schifferdecker  
in fact said that Accutane caused depression in  
some susceptible individuals, although  
the marketing team had the report changed since they  
thought it would "have an adverse effect on marketing."
 
Strange business, indeed.

 October 9, 2007. 1:39 p.m.
Update on the case of Hans Peterson's homicide of Dr. David Cornbleet.

Doug Bremner, MD, is a physician
and researcher in Atlanta GA
and author of Before You Take That Pill:
Why the Drug Industry May be
Bad for Your Health

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