Updated Report on Gynecomastia and Risperdal
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| Gynecomastia and Risperdal |
Risperdal has been in the news a lot lately due to multiple
lawsuits claiming the drug causes serious side effects, including gynecomastia. The claims are that Risperdal blocks dopamine
and raises prolactin levels. The legal dispute is one of the longest in history
against a pharmaceutical company.
In September of 2012, the first trial was held against
Johnson and Johnson but on the first day the case was settled for an amount
that was not made public. After the first settlement, 5 more were settled in
2012.
Multiple offers are coming through from attorneys throughout
the United States, by television advertising and online, to represent any men
who took the drug and developed gynecomastia as a result. It is stated that
there is a settlement in progress that may pay out large awards. However, this
is not a class action lawsuit. A class action lawsuit settles for one amount
that is divided equally among all claimants. Instead, the suit is termed a Multidistrict
Litigation (MDL). An MDL is where all claims are heard by one judge in one
courtroom. Then each case is handled
individually with each settlement negotiated by the plaintiff’s attorney, and
may be based on the degree of injury.
To date, Johnson and Johnson have paid to the Department of
Justice, 2.2 billion dollars due to a guilty plea by Janssen Pharmaceuticals
for misbranding Risperdal.
The Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas now has over 1300
pending cases against Johnson and Johnson. In the meantime, there have been 3
bellwether trials. Bellwether trials give an indication of how juries react to
testimony, and attorneys can use this information to help them negotiate future
settlements.
The first bellwether case settled in February and due to the
large settlement of 2.5 million dollars, made national news. The settlement went to a man who is 20 years
old and had been taking the drug for autism since he was 8 years old. The
second bellwether case went in favor of the defendant due to lack of sufficient
evidence that Risperdal actually caused gynecomastia.
Recently the third bellwether case went in favor of the plaintiff but the
amount of the settlement was undisclosed.
Miguel
Delgado, M.D. wants patients to know that different states have different
statutes of limitation for filing a claim. If you have been injured by
Risperdal, he advises that you seek a consultation by a
Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, who specializes in gynecomastia, and perhaps
legal representation.
