A New Jersey appeals court handed Hoffmann-La Roche a minor victory on Tuesday when it affirmed a trial judge's ruling that four plaintiffs in the Accutane litigation blew the statute of limitations in filing their product liability lawsuits.

A three-judge Appellate Division panel, in an unpublished ruling, said four plaintiffs—out of the more than 2,500 cases pending against the Swiss pharmaceutical giant in state court—failed to file their lawsuits on a timely basis.

The suits allege users of anti-acne medication Accutane suffered harmful side effects. The company continues to maintain that there has been no causal connection proved between the use of Accutane and the plaintiffs' alleged medical disorders.