Courtney Jorstad  |  December 20, 2013

Category: Legal News

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Heart attackNearly 80 male Risperdal users who took the drug as children and later developed gynecomastia or “man boobs” have filed a motion to enforce a multi-million dollar settlement with Johnson & Johnson, alleging the company appears to be trying to back out of the agreement.

When Risperdal was first introduced to the market, it was only approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to treat schizophrenia. However, the government claims in criminal information filed with the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania that from Mar. 3, 2002 to Dec. 31, 2003, Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. promoted Risperdal to treat dementia in elderly patients to alleviate symptoms such as anxiety, agitation, depression, hostility and confusion. The promotional materials made very little mention of schizophrenia.

From 1999 through 2005, Janssen also allegedly promoted Risperdal to be used in children with mental disabilities such as autism, bipolar disorder, attention deficit disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and other mental disabilities. However, Risperdal increases the development of prolactin, the hormone that stimulates breast development and milk production, resulting in “man boobs” side effects or gynecomastia.

Several Risperdal lawsuits were filed against Johnson & Johnson after many boys who took the anti-psychotic drug for some of these off-label uses developed gynecomastia. The results were quite severe in some boys who developed male breasts that measured a 38D cup size. A large number of these Risperdal patients had to have corrective surgery to remove the excess breast tissue.

According to the Risperdal lawsuits, Johnson & Johnson knew about this risk yet it was one of Janssen’s Key Base Business Goals to grow and protect its market share among its child and adolescent patients. However, Risperdal was not approved for use in children for any reason by the FDA until 2006. Until then, the FDA specifically warned Janssen against recommending the antipsychotic drug for children.

The Justice Department has demanded Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries pay more than $2.2 billion to settle criminal and civil violations that have arisen from their prescription drug products Risperdal, Invega and Natrecor because the pharmaceutical company promoted the drugs for uses that were not approved by the FDA.

On January 28, Johnson & Johnson agreed to a Risperdal settlement with patients who claim they developed gynecomastia as the result of taking the anti-psychotic drug.

According to the motion to enforce the Risperdal settlement, Johnson & Johnson is trying to change the terms that were originally agreed upon with the plaintiffs due to an issue with co-defendants Excerpta Medica Inc. and Elsevier Inc.

The plaintiffs claim that Johnson & Johnson never said during the Risperdal settlement negotiations that the company wanted the co-defendants to be a part of the settlement terms, but now Johnson & Johnson does want them included. The parties did not discuss either in writing or in person that the co-defendants were a released party meaning that they were never officially excluded from the Risperdal settlement agreement, the motion explained.

The plaintiffs want Judge Arnold New to hold Johnson & Johnson to the current Risperdal settlement terms. The exact terms of that agreement were never disclosed to the public.

If you or someone you know took Risperdal between the ages of 10 and 18 and experienced an adverse side effect such as the ones mentioned here, legal options may be available. Learn more and get a free legal consultation regarding a claim’s eligibility at the Risperdal Side Effects, Male Breast Growth Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. Experienced legal professionals have access to medical experts to assess whether or not this medication played a role in your negative Risperdal side effects, so act now.

2 thoughts onRisperdal Gynecomastia Plaintiffs File Motion to Enforce Settlement

  1. Lisa Nelson says:

    My grandson took risperdal a couple years ago and has recently been complaining about chest pain around the nipple area. The doctor has confirmed that he is growing breast. My contact number is 9102289436.

    1. Topher says:

      We talked to so of these “Lawyers” about the case, my son did not suffer from the side effect mentioned.
      But, he does suffer from some of the other side effects from this medicine.

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