October 18, 2012

In the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas earlier this week, settlements were reached in five drug injury lawsuits brought against drug manufacturer, Johnson & Johnson (J&J). According to Bloomberg Business Week, the lawsuits claimed the company’s drug, Risperdal, caused the young, male victims to develop breasts.

The Pennsylvania Drug Injury lawsuits were among more than 400 J&J is facing involving Risperdal.

An investigation into allegations of illegal marketing showed J&J had hidden data that concluded Risperdal could affect hormone levels in young people, leading to young men developing breasts.

In the wake of these discoveries, J&J has been ordered by dozens of courts to pay well over three billion dollars in penalties for marketing Risperdal for treatments and patients the drug was not approved for and the drug injuries that followed. The largest settlement was a $2.2 billion payment to the federal government and another roughly $2 billion to 40 states to lay to rest claims of wrongdoing connected to the medication.

The Pennsylvania Personal Injury Lawyers with Lundy Law believe drug makers have a responsibility to ensure the safety of their products for the consumers, which they are marketed to, and that failure to do so could be considered negligence in the event an accident was to occur. The firm is here to help if you, or a loved one, have been caused harm by a medication prescribed by a physician.