J&J's Request To Toss $70M Risperdal Verdict Upheld

Introduction

Johnson & Johnson's (J&J) request to toss the $70 million Risperdal verdict has been upheld by the Pennsylvania appeals court.

According to the 2013 lawsuit, the plaintiff, a Tennessee resident, had taken Risperdal since he was a toddler, which led to breast development, a condition called gynecomastia. Upholding the 2016 verdict has sent the case back to the Philadelphia trial judge for punitive damages. J&J was hit last month with $8 billion in punitive damages in another Philadelphia Risperdal case.

Risperdal (risperidone) is a class of drugs called atypical antipsychotic, developed and manufactured by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a division of J&J. It was initially approved in the U.S. by the FDA in 1993 for the treatment of schizophrenia and for the short-term treatment of acute manic or mixed episodes associated with bipolar I disorder. In 2008, Janssen announced the launch of an authorized generic version of Risperdal (R) and added that it would continue to make available branded Risperdal.

Claims against J&J are filed over Risperdal gynecomastia problems having devastating psychological damage and impact on the overall quality of life often requiring the need for surgery, which carries additional risks. Allegations include failure to adequately warn families or the medical community about the risk of gynecomastia.

J&J is facing several lawsuits over its talc and opioid, along with lawsuits over Risperdal. J&J has more than 13,000 lawsuits filed on it in terms of breast development cases in men, allegedly caused by the antipsychotic drug.

Two coordinated actions are filed for Risperdal cases: one in Los Angeles Superior Court (Risperdal and Invega Product Liability Cases, JCCP 4775, presided by Honorable William Highberger) and the other in Philadelphia (In Re: Risperdal Litigation, March 2010 Term, Case No. 100300296).

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