Judge Tim Fox fined Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Janssen $1.1 billion today for nearly 240,000 violations of Arkansas’ Medicaid fraud law. Yesterday a jury found that the companies had hidden the risks of taking Risperdal. J&J will pay an additional $11 million for 4,500 violations of Arkansas’ deceptive practices act. The jury awarded its verdict after three hours of deliberation; Janssen indicated it will move for a new trial, and appeal if necessary.
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Mad in America hosts blogs by a diverse group of writers. These posts are designed to serve as a public forum for a discussion—broadly speaking—of psychiatry and its treatments. The opinions expressed are the writers’ own.
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They probably thought that they could get away almost scott free because they consider us a bunch of country bumpkins here in Arkansas. I hope that this fine sticks and that they have to pay out the $1.1 billion+.
My big question was why this toxic drug, which is supposedly for “antipsychotic” use, was being given to older people in nursing homes? Of course, we all know the answer to that; it was used as a tranquilizer to keep them quiet and docile so that the workers at the nursing homes didn’t have to take care of them properly. All of the large drug companies that have an “antipsychotic” product began pushing it to nursing homes to control the behavior of older people. Eli Lily did it with their toxic drug and every other company has done the same. It opened up new areas for profit, just like pushing it for use in sedating children brought them huge profits.
If there is a hell, then I hope that there is a special place in it for all the people who run large drug companies. How dare them work to drug the old and the young, not to help them, but to further the profits of the companies! We all know that these toxic drugs do not work and are not beneficial, and in fact, cause only great harm for the people they are given to.
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