Parents Sue Acne Drug Company In Son\'s Suicide
Son Stepped In Front Of Train
LOS ANGELES -- The parents of a teenage California boy who threw himself in front of a train are suing the makers of an acne drug they blame for his suicide.
Barry and Laurie Wertheimer sued drug giant Hoffmann-La Roche in Santa Clara County Superior Court this week over their prescription drug, Accutane.
The Wertheimers are charging the company with negligence, fraud and deceit, and medical negligence, among other things.
The New Jersey-based drug company argues that Accutane has been safely prescribed to 13 million patients worldwide during the two decades it\'s been available.
Steven Wertheimer stepped in front of a speeding Amtrak train on the morning of Oct. 7, 2002.
Authorities said young Werthheimer was last prescribed a two-week supply of the drug five months before his suicide.
And the Federal Drug Administration said that between 1982 and 2000, 147 people taking Accutane either committed suicide or tried to -- a much lower rate than for all U.S. citizens ages 15 to 24.