Acne Drug Warning Brochures Readied

Patients who take the powerful acne drug Accutane will soon get special warning brochures outlining side effects--including a possible, but not proven, link to suicide. Patients must then sign a paper certifying they understand the risks, federal health officials told Congress. The MedGuide warning brochures, attached to every bottle sold--along with tougher patient informed-consent forms--may be distributed as early as next month, a Food and Drug Administration official told the House Government Reform Committee. The move is part of an attempt to counter another problem: Accutane causes severe birth defects.