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The January 21, 2000 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that despite numerous warnings for more than a decade, dermatologists are still prescribing the drug Accutane to women of childbearing age; a practice that has lead to severe birth defects in the babies of women using the drug.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Accutane for use in patients with severe, disfiguring acne that do not respond to other forms of treatment. In 1988, the maker of Accutane began informing doctors that the drug should not be used in women of child-bearing age because of the likelihood of severe birth defects in their children. Inserts with the drug also clearly warn women of the dangers.

The report faulted doctors for not only using the drug in women of child-bearing age but also in women who do not have the severe, disfiguring acne that the drug is approved for. One woman in the study, who ended a pregnancy due to her fears about the drug, was given the drug to prevent menstruation related monthly acne.

The CDC recommends that doctors fully inform female patients of the risks and precautions associated with Accutane use.