In less than six hours of deliberation, a Philadelphia jury ordered Johnson & Johnson and its Janssen Pharmaceuticals subsidiary to pay $500,000 to a Wisconsin plaintiff who alleged Risperdal was to blame for his gynecomastia, or male breast growth.
The jury sided with the plaintiff, finding that Risperdal caused gynecomastia and that J&J failed to warn about these risks.
The Risperdal gynecomastia lawsuit was filed on behalf of a Plaintiff Timothy S. in April 2013. According to the lawsuit, Timothy was prescribed Risperdal in 2006 to treat symptoms associated with Tourette’s syndrome. He subsequently developed gynecomastia, allegedly due to use of Risperdal.
He further alleged he was tormented, humiliated and even groped in high school as a result, and it caused not only physical trauma but extreme emotional suffering. Timothy had to undergo a double mastectomy to remove the breasts, one of the only available Risperdal gynecomastia treatment options.
When Timothy started taking the drug, the warning label listed gynecomastia as a rare side effect in adults, with an incidence of less than one in 1,000 patients. However, the Risperdal lawsuit alleges, J&J had gathered data years before showing that gynecomastia occurred at much higher rates among adolescent males. In October 2006, the warning label on Risperdal was revised to state that gynecomastia occurs in 2.3 percent of adolescent users.
This is the third Risperdal gynecomastia trial loss for the drug maker. Two previous juries awarded $2.5 million and $1.75 million to plaintiffs and also found the company liable. More than 1,600 cases are still pending trial as part of a mass tort litigation in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas.
Risperdal Gynecomastia Treatment
Gynecomastia caused by Risperdal will usually not go away even if the drug is discontinued. In mild cases, liposuction may be used to remove the tissue but in more extensive cases like Timothy’s and other Risperdal victims, a breast reduction or mastectomy surgery is the only gynecomastia treatment option.
In addition to the emotional trauma that is likely to occur from gynecomastia, the patient may be subjected to considerable physical pain as a result of surgery and healing time.
Risperdal Controversy
Since its approval in 2002, Risperdal has been no stranger to controversy. Johnson & Johnson and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturers of the drug, allegedly marketed Risperdal for uses not approved by the FDA in children and the elderly and paid kickbacks for doctors and other health care professionals to prescribe it.
In 2013, the U.S. Department of Justice fined J&J $2.2 billion to settle charges of offering kickbacks to doctors. In the Risperdal settlement, the drug makers admitted that they “promoted [Risperdal] to health care providers for the treatment of psychotic symptoms and associated behaviors exhibited by elderly, non-schizophrenic patients who suffered from dementia – even though the drug was approved only to treat schizophrenia.” However, they did not admit to promoting Risperdal off-label to children.
The Risperdal Gynecomastia Lawsuit is Case No. 130401984, in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.
Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The Risperdal attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or Risperdal class action lawsuit is best for you. [In general, Risperdal lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.] Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.
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If you or your son took Risperdal between the ages of 10 and 18 years old and suffered gynecomastia (male breast growth), male breast pain, nipple pain, or nipple discharge, you may be entitled to compensation. See if you qualify by submitting your information below for a free and confidential case review.
An attorney will contact you if you qualify to discuss the details of your potential case at no charge to you.
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