First Jury Verdict in Risperdal Case Awards Plaintiff $2.5 Million

Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson has been ordered to pay a 20-year-old Alabama man $2.5 million for injuries related to Risperdal, the popular antipsychotic drug linked to the development of breasts in young male patients.

This trial marks the first verdict in thousands of lawsuits filed against Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, over the medication’s side effect.

A state court jury in Philadelphia deliberated more than 11 hours over two days before finding on Tuesday, Feb. 24, that Johnson & Johnson and Janssen Pharmaceuticals did not adequately warn doctors and patients that Risperdal could prompt abnormal breast development in males.

According to the plaintiffs attorneys, doctors prescribed the man Risperdal in 2002, when he was only 8 years old, and by the time he was a teenager he had developed breasts measuring 46DD.

At the time doctors had prescribed the drug, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had only approved its use for adults, and there were no clinical studies to support that children and teens could safely take Risperdal.

This is not the first lawsuit alleging Johnson & Johnson acted improperly over the marketing and sales of this particular drug. In 2012, the U.S. Department of Justice brought a suit against the drug maker which was one of the largest health-fraud penalties in U.S. history. Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay $2.2 billion in fines to resolve the case just as thousands of lawsuits alleging gynecomastia and other side effects were getting underway.

Did Your Son Develop Enlarged Breasts After Taking Risperdal? We Can Help.

If your son developed breasts after taking Risperdal, or if you took Risperdal and have suffered from the pain and embarrassment of gynecomastia, you can file a lawsuit for compensation with our attorneys.

The Milwaukee injury attorneys at Pitman, Kalkhoff, Sicula & Dentice are currently investigating claims of Risperdal side effects and we can help you today.

Fill out our free case evaluation form or call 877-877-2228 to take the first step toward justice.