J&J Loses Case Over Risperdal Antipsychotic Causing Male Breast Growth

Rob Wipond
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A jury decided Johnson & Johnson must pay a Philadelphia man $2.5 million in damages “for failing to warn that its Risperdal antipsychotic could cause gynecomastia, which is abnormal development of breasts in males,” reported WSJ Pharmalot.

“The lawsuit was brought by the family of an autistic boy who took the drug in 2002 and later developed size 46 DD breasts,” stated Pharmalot. “At the time, Risperdal was not approved for children. J&J hid data from the FDA, prescribing doctors, and parents. Documents showed they knew there was much higher percentage of children getting gynecomastia than they admitted.”

The case, with many others pending, was previously reported in Mad in America.

Johnson & Johnson Loses Trial Over Risperdal And Male Breasts (WSJ Pharmalot, February 24, 2015)

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Rob Wipond
Rob Wipond
Rob Wipond is a Victoria, British Columbia-based freelance journalist who has been writing on mental health issues for fifteen years. His research has particularly focused on the interfaces between psychiatry, the justice system, and civil rights. His articles have been nominated for three Canadian National Magazine Awards, six Western Magazine Awards, and four Jack Webster Awards for journalism. He can be contacted through his website.

5 COMMENTS

  1. Unbelievable. Certainly no less than 100,000 kids have suffered brain damage enough from those drugs to ruin their entire lives with involuntary movement disorders, completely destroying all hope of ever having any sort of social or love life and probably keep them from ever being able to work for a living… yet the people who got the sympathy and the money were the ones who developed some breasts that were easily removed by a cosmetic surgeon.

    The lesson to be learned: society and our government couldn’t care less about lives ruined by brain damage, or the fact that little johnny cant close his mouth and stop drooling or smacking himself in the chest while grunting, but BREASTS? Breasts ON A BOY!?!?! Oh [email protected]!!! Someone give them all millions of dollars!

  2. It is probably due to the fact that the manufacturers of this product can not attribute the growth of male breasts as part of “the illness” that juries have been sympathetic to the victims of this form of damage. Were this true of the other more serious and less cosmetic forms of disfigurement that this defective product induces, the FDA would be required to remove it from the market.

  3. So who is going to prison? Oh, wait, nobody. So is J&J giving back the money their earned on this criminal act? Nope, they only pay off some of the kids with a fraction of profits. That sounds like it’s going to give a huge disincentive for them to do it in the future, right?

  4. Love all the comments!

    “At the time, Risperdal was not approved for children. J&J hid data from the FDA, prescribing doctors, and parents.” But in 2001 the psychiatrists and mainstream medical doctors were also doing their part in covering up a medically confessed “Foul up” with Risperdal .5 mg causing a “psychosis” in a grown, previously healthy, adult.

    The medical community believes the proper way to cover up a serious adverse reaction to Rispedal is to create schizophrenia symptoms in patients via the central symptoms of neuroleptic induced anticholinergic intoxication syndrome.

    I think the medical community should get out of the business of creating schizophrenia symptoms in their patients with their neuroleptics, for profit.

  5. Well, thanks for keeping us abreast of the way the pharmaceutical companies are making boobs of themselves!

    Seriously, though, the coverups of the serious harm of psychotropic drugs would be laughable if not so tragic. And the fact they can take these kinds of “hits” in the way of million and billion dollar lawsuits and just keep on rolling and raking in billions makes the money made in the illegal drug trade look like chump change!

    Another tragic irony that I’m sure has been mentioned here and elsewhere: All the hoopla in our society and public schools about “saying no to drugs” (street drugs), while the number of kids on these toxic and pathetically understudied drugs has been rising exponentially–even forced on families and kids by the very institutions that are supposed to be educating and caring for them!