USA TODAY International Edition
Man says drug caused breast growth, awarded $ 8 billion
Johnson & Johnson was ordered to pay $ 8 billion in punitive damages in a case where a man said the drug company didn’t warn that an antipsychotic drug could lead to breast growth in boys, a Philadelphia jury ruled Tuesday.
The drug company denounced the ruling against it and its subsidiary, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, as “grossly disproportionate” and said in a statement it was confident the ruling would be overturned.
The drug Risperdal is used to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and irritability associated with autistic disorder. However, Johnson & Johnson is facing thousands of lawsuits claiming the drug is linked with abnormal breast growth in males, known as gynecomastia, and that the company did not adequately warn of those risks.
Attorneys for plaintiff Nicholas Murray, 26, said in a statement that Johnson & Johnson put “profits over patients” and made billions of dollars illegally marketing the drug and promoting off- label use, meaning a doctor prescribes medication for a use not approved by the FDA but deemed medically appropriate.
“This jury, as have other juries in other litigations, once again imposed punitive damages on a corporation that valued profits over safety,” attorneys Tom Kline and Jason Itkin said in a statement. “Johnson & Johnson and Janssen chose billions over children.”
However, Johnson & Johnson said the jury did not hear key evidence that the drug’s label outlined the risks and also provided benefits to patients with mental illness.
“We will be immediately moving to set aside this excessive and unfounded verdict,” the company said in its statement.