Johnson and Johnson Continues to Pay For Risperdal

In August of 2012, Johnson & Johnson paid a $181 million multi-state consumer protection settlement to resolve charges that the company marketed its antipsychotic drug Risperdal for off-label uses. In November of 2013, J&J paid $2.2 billion to resolve False Claims Act allegations related to misbranding of a number of drugs, including Risperdal. In the past month, the company faced two further blows related to Risperdal. A Philadelphia jury awarded $2.5 million to the plaintiff over J&J’s “failure to warn” about Risperdal side effects. This was the first such case to be heard by a jury, though hundreds of cases are pending in Philadelphia alone. The next day, the company was also ordered to pay $136 million to South Carolina under the state’s Unfair Trade Practices Act. 2.2 Billion Settlement One of the chief complaints the DOJ raised in its 2013 settlement press release was related to how J&J subsidiary, Janssen, marketed Risperdal off-label in terms of patient population. “The complaint alleges that J&J and Janssen knew that Risperdal posed certain health risks to children, including the risk of elevated levels of prolactin, a hormone that can stimulate breast development and milk production,” stated the Department of Justice. “Nonetheless…Janssen instructed its sales representatives to call on child psychiatrists, as well as mental health facilities that primarily treated children, and to market Risperdal as safe and effective for symptoms of various chi...
Source: Policy and Medicine - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs