Request Legal Help Now - Free

Advertisement
LAWSUITS NEWS & LEGAL INFORMATION

$124M Settlement Reached in Risperdal Case


This is a settlement for the Risperdal lawsuit.

Santa Clara, CA: A $124 million settlement has been reached ending nine years of litigation against Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals. The company has agreed to pay the settlement to end allegations it illegally promoted the anti-psychotic prescription drug Risperdal for unapproved or "off-label"uses.

The charges were brought by South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson. In February he announced that Ortho-McNeil-Janssen will pay $124,324,700 in satisfaction of the settlement to South Carolina.

According to the lawsuit, Ortho-McNeil-Janssen employed aggressive marketing techniques to persuade doctors to prescribe the drug to their patients, including children with disabilities and elderly dementia patients. The company sent more than 7,000 letters to doctors, allegedly overstating the efficacy of Ridperdal without FDA approval.

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 side effects include Risperdal gynecomastia (male breast growth), tardive dyskinesia, high blood sugar and diabetes, stroke, heart attack and even death. As of September 2012 more than 420 Risperdal lawsuits had been filed, 130 of which are Risperdal gynecomastia claims.

Legal Help

If you have a similar problem and would like to be contacted by a lawyer at no cost or obligation, please fill in our form.
Published on Mar-14-16


ADD YOUR COMMENT ON THIS ISSUE

Please read our comment guidelines before posting.


Note: Your name will be published with your comment.


Your email will only be used if a response is needed.

Are you the defendant or a subject matter expert on this topic with an opposing viewpoint? We'd love to hear your comments here as well, or if you'd like to contact us for an interview please submit your details here.

Request Legal Help Now! - Free