Now here’s the thing. The US courts have been at work, accepting cases to prove every possible type of danger caused to humankind by every possible product. Whether it’s cars that just will not stop no matter how many times you stand on the brakes, or the attack of killer tomatoes full of salmonella, the cases just keep on coming. It’s not surprising the political parties wrestle with the idea of cutting back on the right of trial lawyers to harass successful businesses. In fact, every week you see stories of manufacturers surrendering in the face of legal challenges. Sometimes, right or wrong, it’s cheaper just to give up and walk away. So what’s the story here?

We have to cross to seas to distant islands going under the name of New Zealand. Even though these people live too far away to be considered properly civilized — no developed court system for suing manufacturers marks them out as still primitive — they have witch doctors who have been studying the effect of the key drug used to treat acne. Remarkable though this may seem, they actually managed to round up 1,700 people who have been taking this drug and followed their health for six years. All participants had severe acne that had failed to respond to the usual treatments — rubbing the skin with live toads was the standard. They all took this fierce Western drug in low doses and, remarkably, there did not seem to be any serious side effects. A few had slight cracking of the skin of their lips and minor inflammation but this cleared quickly. When people were taking a dose equivalent to 0.25mg/kg of their body weight, about 3.5% were affected by tiredness and minor mood changes but, overall, only 13 people stopped taking the drug because of the side effects.

And this is interesting because? Well, in the US, Accutane is considered a little controversial. This should not be surprising. The drug was originally developed as chemotherapy for the treatment of some cancers. As you can imagine, the effects on the body can be dramatic at the dosages required to stop cancer from spreading. But, when used as a treatment for acne, the lower dosages are less threatening. Indeed, if you believe the 6-year study from New Zealand, at the lowest possible dosages, you get the benefit of clear skin without almost no side effects. Well, no side effects so long as all women taking Accutane take full measures to prevent conception. Even at low dosages, this drug causes birth defects.

What’s the controversy? Well, one or two legal cases have been working their way through the courts alleging Accutane has caused major depressive illness and, in one or two instances, inflammatory bowel disease. This then defines the difference between a major developed country like the US and backward islands somewhere in the sea near Australia, or perhaps down towards the Antarctic depending on your point of view. In the US, the manufacturer is thinking of suspending sales. In New Zealand, it’s freely available to everyone with serious acne not responding to other types of treatment. Fortunately, you can buy this highly effective (but controversial in the US) drug from an online pharmacy. It really does cure almost every case of acne. There’s a tiny risk of serious side effects but, so long as you ask tell a lawyer, there’s no problem in taking it.