[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 656-657]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ANOTHER ACCUTANE DEATH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Stupak) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, on this first day of the Second Session of 
the 109th Congress, I sadly inform the House of Representatives of 
another Accutane death. I will enter into the Record an article from 
the Appleton Post Crescent. The article is dated today, February 1, 
2006. If I may, I would like to quote from this newspaper.

                              {time}  1845

  ``Justin Zimmer shot himself January 15 in his bedroom, a shocking 
suicide his family struggles to comprehend and fears may be tied to 
Justin's acne medication.
  ``The day of Justin's death, the family had returned home from a 
meeting to discuss a trip planned by Justin's church youth group.
  ``His parents, Wendy and Warren, left for the grocery store. An hour 
later they pulled into the driveway and learned Justin was dead.
  ``How could their happy, high-achieving teen, who couldn't wait to 
take his driver's test on his 16th birthday Thursday, end a life of so 
much promise?
  ``All the Zimmers and their other two children are left with are 
questions, and the only answer they can come up with to explain his 
death is Accutane, the prescription drug Justin started taking in 
December for severe acne.''
  I wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to the Zimmer family. I, 
too, know the struggle and heartache and pain that they are going 
through as I lost my son B.J. on May 14, 2000.
  To go on the article says that the FDA and the drug manufacturer of 
Accutane, Roche, indicated that the rate of depression among Accutane 
users is 1.5 times higher than among nonusers, according to a December 
7, 2004 report in USA Today.
  As Mr. Zimmer said, ```They can snap in as little as an hour. I'd 
just as soon see it off the market,''' meaning Accutane. ```If this can 
happen to a kid with all this going for him, think what could happen to 
a kid who's struggling?'''
  ```They shouldn't sell it to anyone . . . '''
  Another doctor, ``an Appleton dermatologist, said he has looked at a 
number of studies and has no qualms about prescribing isotretinoin,'' 
which is the medical term for Accutane.
  He goes on and says, this dermatologist, ```It's something we're 
concerned about and we ask about, but we don't see any scientific 
evidence to say there is an increased risk for it.''' He said the side 
effects, including the potential for depression and suicide, are there, 
but he is not concerned about it.
  Mr. Speaker, I have come to this floor before, and I have brought 
forth this PET scan of the frontal orbital cortex. If you take a look 
at it, this is the medical evidence that directly links Accutane to 
depression and suicide ideation and suicide in the users of Accutane.
  If you take a look at it, here is the baseline of Accutane over on my 
far right. That is the frontal orbital cortex of the brain. When you 
take a look there is all the red in the picture over here, that is the 
baseline. Four months later they take a PET scan of the brain over 
here, post-Accutane, 4 months on Accutane. Notice there is very little 
redness in this front part of the brain, the frontal orbital cortex, 
the front part of the brain we know causes depression.
  The reason why there is no redness is because the metabolism of the 
brain

[[Page 657]]

has been stopped or affected by the use of the Accutane. In this 
particular slide, this person had a 21 percent decrease in brain 
activity while on Accutane.
  So, when this dermatologist says there is no medical evidence, there 
is. Here is the direct evidence. This has been published in the 
American Journal of Psychiatry last year. Also, there are animal tests 
which show the same thing, how Accutane actually destroyed a brain in 
these animals.
  We can even take it one step further. This person who has this PET 
scan here, if you gave this person, a number of dermatologists said 
they would monitor them, if you give this person the Beck's depression 
test, which is standard indication of signs of depression to see if the 
person is suffering from depression, this person who had a 21 percent 
decrease in brain activity passed every one of them. The only reason 
why they knew something was going on besides the PET scan was the 
personal behavior had changed. Unless you are monitoring that person 
all the time you never would know that from the Beck's depression test 
because it did not show a change in personality.
  Getting back to the young man that unfortunately took his life on 
January 15, his parents went on to say, ```He had an appointment this 
Thursday to take his driver's test and it was one of the few times he'd 
take off of school. We were shopping for cars.'
  ``Justin was sensitive and shy, with a ready smile and a penchant for 
perfection, said his parents. At school, he was sophomore class 
president, and ranked No. 1 in his class with straight A's. He was in 
wrestling, football and baseball.''
  Mr. Speaker, we presented these findings of this PET scan to then-
Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Thompson and also to 
then Mr. Crawford, and we are still waiting for answers back as to 
these PET scans and what it shows.
  Mr. Speaker, there are so many unanswered questions. My time has 
expired. I look forward to continuing this discussion on this serious 
drug, and it should be pulled from the market.
  The article I previously referred to is as follows:

                 [From the Post-Crescent, Feb. 1, 2006]

                       Accutane Blamed in Suicide

                         (By Kathy Walsh Nufer)

       Menasha.--Justin Zimmer shot himself Jan. 15 in his 
     bedroom, a shocking suicide his family struggles to 
     comprehend and fears may be tied to Justin's acne medication.
       The day of Justin's death, the family had returned home 
     from a meeting to discuss a trip planned by Justin's church 
     youth group.
       His parents, Wendy and Warren, left for the grocery store. 
     An hour later they pulled into the driveway and learned 
     Justin was dead.
       How could their happy, high-achieving teen, who couldn't 
     wait to take his driver's test on his 16th birthday Thursday, 
     end a life of so much promise?
       All the Zimmers and their other two children are left with 
     are questions, and the only answer they can come up with to 
     explain his death is Accutane, the prescription drug Justin 
     started taking in December for severe acne.
       Accutane is a brand name of the anti-acne drug 
     isotretinoin, which went on the market in 1982.
       It has become controversial because of its serious side 
     effects, including birth defects, mental disorders and even 
     suicide.
       Those side effects, however, are so rare that many doctors 
     think they statistically are insignificant, and the Food and 
     Drug Administration only warns people to be aware of them, 
     not to abstain from using the drug.
       The Zimmers blame their son's death on the drug, said 
     Warren, who was aware of the side effects but saw no warning 
     signs in his son's behavior.
       ``That's why we felt it necessary to get this out. We want 
     parents to know just how sudden this can come on. If we can 
     save someone, maybe his death isn't a total loss and someone 
     else doesn't have to go through this.''
       U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., whose son committed suicide 
     in 2000 while taking Accutane, has pressed for more public 
     warnings about the link between depression and isotretinoin, 
     more restricted distribution and more tracking of side 
     effects.
       The Zimmers say they have talked to countless people who 
     know someone taking isotre-tinoin. ``It's more prevalent than 
     you think,'' Warren said.
       The couple now urges parents to take their teens off the 
     medication if they are on it.
       ``They can snap in as little as an hour,'' Warren said. 
     ``I'd just as soon see it off the market. If this can happen 
     to a kid with all this going for him, think what could happen 
     to a kid who's struggling?''
       ``They shouldn't sell it to anyone under 18,'' Wendy said.
       Adrianne Marsh, a spokeswoman for Stupak's office, said 
     Tuesday the FDA has attributed about 200 suicides to the drug 
     so far and last spring put out an isotretinoin alert.
       Dr. Charlie Kagen, an Appleton dermatologist, said he has 
     looked at a number of studies and has no qualms about 
     prescribing isotretinoin.
       ``It's something we're concerned about and we ask about, 
     but we don't see any scientific evidence to say there is an 
     increased risk for it,'' he said of the side effects, 
     including the potential for depression and suicide.
       ``There's a suggestion it (Accutane) might play a role, but 
     statistically we can't say it does. Well over 6 million 
     people in the U.S. alone have used it since 1982.''
       Side effects are explained in the medication guide Roche 
     Laboratories, the maker of Accutane, puts out for patients. 
       The literature notes that some patients may become 
     depressed or develop such symptoms as sadness, anxiety, 
     irritability, anger, thoughts of violence and suicide.  
       Patients sign a consent form, agreeing to stop using the 
     medication if they notice any symptoms, and are required to 
     meet with their doctor once a month, which Justin did. 
       Justin, who had taken Accutane for a month before his 
     death, had tried other topical acne medications with little 
     luck, said his parents. He had decided on Accutane, which is 
     prescribed when other treatments don't work, after discussing 
     it with his dermatologist.
       He also had discussed the side effects with his parents.
       ``It's not that we took it lightly,'' said Warren. ``We 
     were watching for warning signs.''
       ``We saw nothing,'' said Wendy. ``I could talk to him about 
     things, and he promised he would come to me if anything 
     bothered him.''
       When police asked the Zimmers what they thought happened, 
     Warren noticed the prescription slip for Accutane on the 
     kitchen counter.
       Justin's last appointment with the dermatologist had been 
     Jan. 12 and on the slip was the orange sticker giving the 
     pharmacist the OK for a new 30-day supply.
       Warren and Wendy Zimmer insist their son's suicide had to 
     be related to the drug.
       ``He had so much going for him,'' said Warren. ``He was 
     good at everything he did. He respected everybody. He didn't 
     have an enemy in the world.''
       ``He had an appointment this Thursday to take his driver's 
     test and it was one of the few times he'd take off of school. 
     We were shopping for cars.''
       Justin was sensitive and shy, with a ready smile and a 
     penchant for perfection, said his parents. At school, he was 
     sophomore class president, and ranked No. 1 in his class with 
     straight A's. He was in wrestling, football and baseball.
       ``He had an undefeated season in wrestling and was so 
     looking forward to baseball,'' Wendy said. ``He'd been 
     sleeping with his baseball glove by his pillow.''
       Justin planned to join the military, Warren said. ``He was 
     a big `CSI' fan. Who knows where he would have gone? He had a 
     heck of a start on life.''
       The Zimmers can't say enough about the support of family, 
     school personnel and the community, especially Menasha 
     students, through their ordeal. ``When we came home from the 
     wake there were 100 kids in our front yard having a 
     candlelight vigil. They encircled us. It was so healing,'' 
     Wendy said.
       Even so, Warren said he is beset by ``streaks of anger'' 
     when he thinks about Justin's death.
       ``Your life changes so quickly in a matter of an hour. You 
     go to the grocery store and come back and you don't have five 
     people at home anymore. You have four.''

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