Risperdal Lawsuits on the Rise

Risperidone, sold under the brand name Risperdal, has recently come under major legal scrutiny and been the subject of Risperdal lawsuits over the issue of male breast growth. The drug, manufactured by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, is a prescription drug classified as an anti-psychotic. It was designed to treat schizophrenia without the sedating effects on the patient that so many older anti psychotic drugs caused.

Like other drugs designed to treat maladies of the brain, the drug was found to be helpful against several other disorders, and it was subsequently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat bipolar disorder, as well as aggression and irritability associated with autism.

However, Risperdal has been found to cause a number of serious side effects. This allegedly includes a condition called gynecomastia, or male breast growth. The condition is obviously an emotionally scarring disability, and can be very stigmatizing. Additionally, Risperdal is associated with weight gain and diabetes, which may initially camouflage gynecomastia.

Lawsuits over Risperdal side effects have been consolidated into a multidistrict litigation (MDL) in Pennsylvania state court. It is yet to be determined if there will be a Federal court MDL created. For more information on MDL’s, please see my previous blog posts. Over 360 lawsuits have been filed on behalf of plaintiffs who have been injured by Risperdal.

The Risperdal Gynecomastia MDL is In re: Risperdal Litigation, Case No. 100300296, in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.

Pittman, Dutton & Hellums, P.C., is currently investigating Risperdal injury claims. If you or a loved one were injured as a result of taking Risperdal, please contact Booth Samuels at 1-866-515-8880 or by email at booths@pittmandutton.com.

J&J to Pay Huge Fine Over Risperdal

Johnson & Johnson is paying the third-largest pharmaceutical settlement ever to settle civil and criminal fines that it improperly marketed and promoted the antipsychotic drug Risperdal.  Much of the conduct occurred when current J&J CEO Alex Gorsky was vice president for sales and marketing or president of the pharmaceutical unit.

 

The United States Attorney General said that the company "recklessly put at risk the most vulnerable members of our society."  In response, J&J's vice president and general counsel said "This resolution allows us to move forward and continue to focus on delivering innovative solutions that improve and enhance the well-being of patients.

 

Federal officials said the company knew that Risperdal posed serious risks for older adults, such as an increased risk of strokes, but played them down.  J&J also knew that children were susceptible to certain health risks from taking the drug, including the possibility that boys could develop breasts through elevated production of the hormone prolactin, federal officials said.  Despite this, J&J told its sales representatives to visit child psychologists and mental health facilities that mainly focused on children and to promote the drug for defecit hyperactivity disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.