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Risperdal Lawsuits

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Risperdal (generic name Risperidone) is an atypical antipsychotic that works by changing the activity of certain natural substances in the brain. Developed by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, Risperdal was approved by the FDA in 1993 for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults. Risperdal Lawsuits have shown a link between Risperdal and growing male breasts, known as Risperdal gynecomastia. Other Risperdal side effects include tardive dyskinesia, high blood sugar and diabetes, stroke, heart attack and even death.

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Risperdal FDA Approval and Black Box Warning

Risperdal is also approved for bipolar disorder and the first drug approved by the FDA to treat behavioral problems in people with autism-related irritability. It was approved in 2006 to treat such irritability in children as young as five years of age. Risperdal is prescribed orally in pill form and Risperdal Consta is administered by injection for patients suffering from Bipolar I disorder who require longer-term medication treatment.

In 2006 a clinical study at Duke University showed a link with Risperdal and gynecomastia and that premature breast development may also occur in girls. Despite this evidence, the FDA approved Risperdal for the treatment of schizophrenia in children and bipolar disorder in both children and adults in 2007. The agency ordered a black box warning on its label in 2005 to warn of increased risk of death in elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis.


Risperdal Gynecomastia (Breast Development in Males)

propeciamalebreasts Attorneys for Risperdal victims claim that J&J and Janssen used illegal marketing to promote Risperdal for unapproved uses even after they were aware of the link to gynecomastia, and it failed to adequately warn of those risks.

In 2001 Janssen funded a study that showed 3.8 percent of boys given Risperdal during their clinical trial developed breasts that were either “probably or very likely” caused by the drug. Also in 2001, the Miami Herald reported cases of Risperdal gynecomastia development in boys while in the Florida foster care system who had been given the drug as a pharmaceutical “restraint”.

Between 1999 and 2008, serious adverse event reports of Risperdal use in children numbered over 1200, including 31 deaths. In 2008, the Wall Street Journal reported that Risperdal had been shown to increase prolactin levels (leading to breast development and lactation) and experts reported up to 70 percent of gynecomastia childhood events were found to be caused by Risperdal use. Also in 2008, the FDA concluded that warnings did not need to be strengthened on Risperdal labeling.

Bloomberg News in 2012 reported that more than 100 lawsuits were related to gynecomastia and six gynecomastia suits were settled for undisclosed amounts before the FDA Commissioner could be called as a witness.

Risperdal Gynecomastia Lawsuits

drillingmudlawsuitjudgeandgaveRisperdal “Off-Label” Lawsuits Risperdal lawsuits also allege that the drug company encouraged off-label prescriptions for children before the breast growth side effect warning was added to the label. According to court documents, J&J encouraged doctors to prescribe Risperdal off-label to treat attention deficit and disruptive behavior and other childhood disorders. Although doctors are allowed to prescribe medicine as they see fit, drug companies can market their products only for uses approved by the FDA. As well, research indicates that off- label use of Risperdal to treat ADHD is increasing.

Risperdal Gynecomastia Lawsuits As of June 2016, about 1,750 Risperdal Gynecomastia lawsuits filed against Janssen Pharmaceuticals are pending in Philadelphia and thousands more Risperdal gynecomastia cases are pending nationwide. Of four Risperdal cases tried to verdict three have resulted in favor of the injured plaintiff. A fifth case ended with some jurors saying there was not enough evidence to directly link Risperdal as the cause of gynecomastia, although they unanimously agreed that J&J should have warned the public that its drug could lead to excessive breast growth.

July 2016: A jury in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas with Judge Paula Patrick presiding awarded $70 million to the family of a Tennessee boy who alleged he developed gynecomastia after taking Rispderal. ( A.Y. v. Janssen Pharm., Inc., Pa. Ct. Com. Pl., No. 130402094, verdict 7/1/16 ). This verdict is the fifth in which a jury found that Johnson & Johnson and subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc. failed to warn about Risperdal's risks.

December 2015: Timothy Stange from Wisconsin was awarded $500,000 after a jury found that Janssen Pharmaceuticals failed to warn about Risperdal’s link to excess growth of breast tissue and that its negligence caused his injuries. Stange took Risperdal as a teenager from 2006-2009. It was the fourth case to go to trial in Philadelphia and the third to end in favor of the plaintiffs.

November 2015: Nicolas Murray was awarded $1.75 million for damages from disfigurement and mental anguish, even though he continued to take Risperdal after a warning was added to the label in 2006. Murray was prescribed the anti-psychotic drug when he was nine years old. His attorney argued that J&J knew as early as 2001 that Risperdal caused boys to grow breasts.

March 2015: This second verdict found in favor of the defense, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, rather than plaintiff William Cirba. Although the jury determined that J&J failed to warn of gynecomastia risks, no damages were awarded because a direct link between Risperdal and Cirba’s breast growth was not established.

February 2015: The first Risperdal trial awarded plaintiff Austin Pledger and his family $2.5 million. Pledger took the drug when he was eight years old to treat symptoms of autism, which was prescribed “off-label”. In his teenage years, Pledger developed size 46 DD breasts. Dr. David Kessler, a pediatrician and former commissioner of the FDA, testified that J&J failed to warn about gynecomastia. Pledger’s doctor said he would have reconsidered prescribing Risperdal had he known of the risks.

September 2012: On the first day of trial, J&J settled a lawsuit filed on behalf of Aaron Banks, who developed breasts after taking Risperdal when he was nine years old. He continued taking the drug until age 14 and required surgery to remove the breast tissue.

Risperdal Diabetes, Risperdal Dementia and Risperdal Heart Disease

Since 1999 Risperdal has been linked to diabetes. Researchers found that about 50 percent of patients taking Risperdal in a study comparing its risk to Eli Lilly & Co.'s Zyprexa antipsychotic drug, developed diabetes after a year on the medication. Diabetes can lead to other serious health risks including stroke, heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases.

Janssen in 2002 issued a letter to Canadian practitioners warning of risks in the elderly dementia population but did not warn US practitioners until the following year. Risperdal is responsible for at least 37 cases of stroke type events including 16 deaths.

Risperdal has not been approved for the treatment of dementia in the elderly. The FDA determined that the elderly who suffer from dementia and have used Risperdal were 1.6 to 1.7 times more likely to die of various ailments, including heart disease. Its website now warns that elderly patients are at an increased risk of cardiovascular death with increased use of Risperdal Consta long-acting injection. In November 2013, Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay $2.2 billion in civil and criminal fines to settle claims it improperly marketed Risperdal, including to the elderly with dementia.

Other Risperdal Side Effects

Risperdal PTSD Study A study conducted by the Department of Veterans Affairs and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that Risperdal may be no more effective than a placebo at treating veteran PTSD. Researchers found that five percent of veterans with PTSD who were given Risperdal and five percent who were given a placebo reported a fully recovery. Meanwhile, between 10 percent and 20 percent of both groups reported some improvement of their condition. The group that was given Risperdal, however, was reportedly more likely to suffer side effects including weight gain.

Risperdal and Invega Floppy Iris Syndrome Alert Health Canada in conjunction with Janssen Inc. issued new safety information in November, 2013, regarding the risk of Intraoperative Floppy Iris Syndrome (IFIS) associated with the use of RISPERDAL®, RISPERDAL® M-TAB®, RISPERDAL® CONSTA® (risperidone), INVEGA® (paliperidone) and INVEGA SUSTENNA® (paliperidone palmitate). The risk of IFIS is associated with the use of risperidone- or paliperidone-containing products, which are primarily prescribed for the treatment of schizophrenia--however, the risk applies to all patients undergoing cataract surgery, who have been exposed to these products, irrespective of indication. IFIS is characterized by a triad of intraoperative signs (billowing of a flaccid iris stroma, progressive intraoperative pupil constriction and a propensity for iris prolapse) that may present with varying degrees of severity and is associated with an increased rate of cataract surgical complications.

Risperdal Consta Recall

Risperdal Consta, which is injected, is stored and given to patients at clinics. In September 2013 Risperdal Consta was recalled after discovering mold during routine quality testing. According to J&J and the FDA, the 25 mg liquid dose of Risperdal Consta was recalled from lot No. 309316 and outsourced to another company, Alkermes Inc. It was shipped from Jan. 14 to May 20, 2013. Risperdal Consta is one of J &J's top-selling drugs, with $1.4 billion in sales last year.

Other Risperdal Lawsuits

January 2010: Whistleblowers, state attorneys general, and the Department of Justice filed a Risperdal lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson claiming the drug company paid $50 million in kickbacks to Omnicare, a pharmaceutical supply company, for bogus services. Omnicare used the money to market Risperdal to doctors, urging them to prescribe the drug to nursing home residents. J&J settled with the government for $112 million.

August 2011: Massachusetts and several other states filed suit against J&J alleging it promoted Risperdal for off-label treatments and failed to disclose serious Risperdal side effects including diabetes and an increased risk of death in elderly patients.

January 2012: Bloomberg reported that J&J settled a Risperdal fraud lawsuit brought by Texas on behalf of its Medicaid program for $158 million.

August 2012: J&J entered a guilty plea for a misdemeanor after U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filings indicated that the government had investigated the company' sales practices.

Johnson & Johnson In 2013 J&J paid $2.2 billion in fines and penalties to the US Department of Justice to avoid prosecution related to misbranding of Risperdal, which is the largest settlement of its type. Before its patent expired in 2007, Risperdal generated upward of $25 billion for the giant drug company. Today the Risperdal franchise, including a related medication Invega, generates combined sales of over $3 billion per year for J&J, which has a yearly income worldwide of about $71 billion.

Risperdal Legal Help

If you or a loved one has suffered a stroke while taking Risperdal, please click the link below to send your complaint to a Risperdal lawyer for a free case evaluation.
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RISPERDAL LEGAL ARTICLES AND INTERVIEWS

Has J&J Lost Its Way?
Has J&J Lost Its Way?
October 25, 2019
One of thousands of Risperdal cases pending in the Philadelphia court system has resulted in a whopping $8 billion in damages awarded to a single plaintiff who claimed he developed breasts, a condition known as gynecomastia. Plaintiff Nicholas Murray’s lawyers told the jury following the verdict that, “Johnson and Johnson is a company which has lost its way.” READ MORE

Will Pennsylvania Supreme Court Hear Risperdal Time Bar Appeal?
Will Pennsylvania Supreme Court Hear Risperdal Time Bar Appeal?
March 12, 2018
Philadelphia, PA: All eyes are on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, as justices with the highest hall of justice in the State debate whether, or not to hear an appeal of a lower court ruling that could put an undetermined number of Risperdal gynecomastia lawsuits currently housed in a mass tort, in jeopardy. READ MORE

Risperdal Patient "Never asked for Gynecomastia or Weight Gain"
Risperdal Patient "Never asked for Gynecomastia or Weight Gain"
February 9, 2018
Albuquerque NM:When Daniel was 17 years old, life was good. He was the star of his high school baseball team, he was in top form. But within a few years his life went sideways and Daniel wound up in the psych ward, "forced" to take Risperdal. READ MORE

READER COMMENTS

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Why would anyone allow this to continue? No test for schizophrenia, no cures in psychiatry, no cause named. If I'm so clinical certified opinion based schizophrenic, why would I think, this medication is for torture? I'm 200 lbs, regular 155lbs. I fell and broke my leg the day of the injection on the fifth February. How can anyone believe that the disorders are factual? Behavior is not a disease. Unfortunately this will end eventually for them. Someone stopped the whole asylum thing, now someone needs to stop the forced drugging, especially of children. When you read this, if you have any power, authority, or law changing ability to do something about giving people a choice in whether or not they want the meds, just do it. I'm totally into surviving this, gotta stop soon. I was on cylert, I took and stopped taking clozapine, withdrawal of clozapine is how they're labeling people with the disorder, you want to see drug induced psychosis, that's the withdrawal of antipsychotics, get a clue. Prove schizophrenia is real or just stop this, I'm not cool with growing lil boobies and breaking my legs from invega. Got me on 150mg invega sustenna 3 weeks apart, 5 mg risperidone every night on top of this. Why does a 5 foot 8 guy need that much medication at 155 lbs? So he can grow breasts and break his legs growing to 210 lbs his brain will shrink and he'll lie in bed all day playing video games eating bon bons talking to himself. Better than backflips like he used to do the whole 200 lbs drooling and growing his nips? Imagine him believing that this is about health care. Lost all faith in Canada.

Posted by

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My son took ot for like 5 or 6 years. He gain weight and can't lose it o don't know bout the breast but he get really bad headaches and when the lawyer called one time haven't herd back they was a few months ago. How can any one or money help our children?

Posted by

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I took this medicine can't remember what year and was wondering if I have a case or not

Posted by

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Portugal citizen been forced to take Risperdal Consta 50 mg every 14 days until I die. Been taking it since September 2012.

Posted by

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Im a 42 year old lady who is widowed. When my husband died I tried to kill myself. They put me on this medication as a mood stabilizer. Been taking it 1 and a half yeats and Ive grinded my teeth down, move uncontrollably, grew larger breast with milk. Just because Im female doesnt mean I want large breast full of milk. Im miserable. My daily life is miserable. My nights are miserable. Help. They told me it was for my mood. Im just severely depressed.

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My fiancé I believe is suffering from the side effects of rispidal he took it for about 6 years ago and most of the side effects he had I very upset that this could have been prevented can someone please get in contact with me so that I could get some legal advise.

Posted by

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This junk has destroyed my son's life. He took for about 8 months and had to be weaned off through therapy sessions. Caused nothing but grief. Went from under weight to overweight, stretch marks everywhere, enlarged breasts. He is 18 now and was suicidal through middle and high school. Stayed in therapy the entire time. Hospitalized for evaluation and medicated for severe depression that they said was direct cause from being bullied over breasts.....kids called him "titties". He wants a "normal" life but has crippling anxiety. No amount of money can fix his mind and what he has been put through.

Posted by

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I was on risperdone, developed breasts ,had surgery,got a lawyer, now after two and a half years later . i need a new lawyer. i have a case already filed.in court. why is it some lawyers after two years and a case filed in court decided to opt out. sounds like someone got paid to drop it.i need a lawyer who will fight fight fight.
the drug companies only care about profit. and nothing else.

Posted by

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I was treated for schizophrenia and I did not have it and also bipolar and I did not have that I had PTSD and the doctors knew it and they tried to detain me in a psychiatric ward buy gallahue mental health dr. DA and dr. KJ Abilify and I was having troubles sleeping and it kept me awake or for 5 days once dr. A found out I had PTSD he tried to have me put in that to the psychiatric ward and give me Abilify and other psychiatric medications and they will want to join me physically can you help doors

Posted by

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Im trying to find a lawyer to take my case.I was taking generic risperdone an my doctor notice that my breast had enlarge.an he diagnos me with gynecomastia.

Posted by

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The PHX VA forced Risperdal on a vet who refused It. This vet lost a lot of weight after (17) yrs w/o any dose modifying; developed pneumonia, extra-pyramidal symptoms, heart QT disturbance then
delirium. Seven mos. later the vet died. Yes it causes death.

Posted by

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I have the ultimate Risperdal tale of woe. A cardiologist did an emergency angioplasty and angiogram for coronary artery disease. Then I had a colon resection for diverticulitis at Cedars-Sinai with my Blue Cross PPO. Then I had another emergency angioplasty and angiogram and they found diabetes from Risperdal as the cause of the coronary artery disease. My family and doctor didn't understand diabetes so I got another complication, diabetic neuropathy in my left leg.

Finally I got to a diabetes educator, neurologist, and endocrinologist, learned how to control my diabetes, and since then I've stopped the complications and the doctor says I've reversed the whole thing. Except this robber beat me up, tore off the whole toenail on my left big toe, it got a hallux limitus, ingrown, infected, and became a diabetic ulcer, with a partial matrixectomy by a podiatric surgeon, which is the first step to amputation, if you're not extremely careful. They think you're doomed and cursed, but they don't understand the exact medical process--1/2 of amputees die in 5 years. Most diabetics die of heart attacks, but I take 5 heart meds, exercise a lot, control my blood sugar with diet, and the cardiologist says, "Your numbers are fantastic," so it's unlikely. I was still trying to get a computer science degree and living with Laurie when all this happened, and I'm up for suing Johnson & Johnson for not releasing the studies linking Risperdal to diabetes. If I die it would be nice if Laurie and her new husband got something for the wrongful death. I went to Yale, and I remind myself of the victims in the tragedies my drama school roommate does.

Posted by

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Does anybody know if this drug could cause a young girl to develop one breast a good deal larger than the other one??? My daughter took this garbage when she was around 9 yrs. old and now she is 13.

Posted by

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Since taking Risperdal I have grown a large lump under my left nipple that is still growing. I have to wear many layers to avoid being insulted and ridiculed about this deformity. Even after losing over 75 pounds and becoming thin, the breast lump is still very noticeable. My back is in pain from hunching over trying to hide the lump. I have lost almost all of my confidence, and I've become very insecure and withdrawn facing rejection every day.

Posted by

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Our 15-year-old son was on Risperdal but due to the severe side effects, we took him off this drug. His pediatrician has scheduled an appointment for him to see a surgeon due to developing enlarged breasts from taking this horrible drug. He also gained an enormous amount of weight in a very short period of time, which caused severe stretch marks all over his body, even in the bends of his arms. As soon as we took him off the drug, his weight dropped back to normal but the damaged skin will never be normal again. Emotionally and physically, this drug has caused tremendous damage!

Posted by

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I have developed male breast tissue that can only be taken out by surgery. I developed male breasts shortly after taking the drug Risperdal. I was hospitalized for 3 weeks where they gave me the drug every day, 2 times a day in 2012. Shortly after, and even as I was taking the drug, I started to gain weight and develop male breasts. I never had them before. I have consulted a doctor who has told me in his medical opinion it was the drug Risperdal that caused me to develop male breasts and that I would have to have surgery to correct the problem. I have medical records on when I was on the drug and I have medical records diagnoising me with gynecomastia or however you spell it. It's when males develop breast tissue.

Posted by

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My 14 year old son was prescribed Risperdal for treatment of a mood disorder. He was on it for about one year. He was misdiagnosed. He actually has autism spectrum disorder. The Risperdal has caused significant weight gain. He does have larger breasts than normal. He was just diagnosed with diabetes this week. We had one ER visit and now numerous medical expenses due to the diabetes.

Posted by

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My child with autism suffered extreme side effects from taking Risperdal.

Posted by

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Having heart problems while taking Risperdal Consta (Risperidone).

Posted by

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Male breast enlargement, elevated blood pressure, headaches.

Posted by

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Gynecomastia, right breast; procedure right subcutaneous mastectomy

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