The New Jersey Supreme Court has agreed to hear appeals in the mass tort alleging that the pharmaceutical giant Hoffmann-La Roche's anti-acne drug Accutane led to users' development of Crohn's disease.

The court will likely hear arguments in the case next year.

In Dec. 8 orders granting petitions for certification, the court agreed to determine whether the plaintiffs can overcome the presumption of adequacy afforded by the Products Liability Act for a drug approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration, and whether a trial judge erred in barring plaintiffs' expert testimony.

The lead attorneys were not immediately available for comment: Paul Schmidt of the Washington office of Covington & Burling, who represents Hoffmann-La Roche; and David Buchanan, of New York's Seeger & Weiss, who represents the plaintiffs.