Huffington Post and journalist Steve Brill have combined to launch a 15 part series about how Johnson & Johnson illegally violated FDA restrictions by pushing the antipsychotic drug, Risperdal, for use with adolescents and the elderly. The series, entitled “America’s Most Admired Lawbreaker,” launched yesterday and will include mixed media, videos, podcasts, source documents, as well as 15 written chapters. Click more for a synopsis of part 1.
The first part of the series examines evidence, including “emails, sales training manuals and business plans,” produced for a case of a 12 year old boy with Autism who grew size 46-DD breasts after being prescribed Risperdal. The documents “revealed that the company organized special sales units illegally targeting doctors who treated the elderly and children.” The FDA had specifically prohibited the promotion of Risperdal to children “because of its feared side effects, including hormonal disorders.” Despite a flurry of lawsuits and payouts over these practices, Johnson & Johnson never suffered a dip in stock prices and no senior executives have ever been held personally responsible.
