Risperdal (risperidone) is an anti-psychotic drug manufactured by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, a Johnson & Johnson company.  This drug was FDA-approved for children in 2006 to treat symptoms of autism and bipolar disorder.

Since its approval, hundreds of Risperdal lawsuits have been filed against the manufacturer over the development of male breast growth (clinically known as gynecomastia) in boys who have taken the drug.

This condition is not only embarrassing, with the pejorative term “man boobs” used to describe it, but it can also be physically painful, requiring surgery.  The emotional and physical pain sufferers report is indeed traumatic.

Janssen has recently been accused of purposely concealing Risperdal’s male breast growth in boys. Back in 2003, Janssen allegedly hid data from the results in a 2003 study that would have alerted physicians and the FDA, among others, of the increased risk of gynecomastia as a result of increased prolactin.

According to the data collected in several Risperdal lawsuits, an early version of a manuscript detailing the 2003 Janssen study was found.  In this early manuscript, two tables purportedly appeared that showed a direct link between increased levels of prolactin and gynecomastia as a Risperdal side effect.

Prolactin is a hormone that stimulates breast development in women, and if boys are exposed to prolactin, they may develop breasts as well.  Additionally, breasts and nipples may become very painful and nipples may produce discharge (galactorrhea).

These findings listed in the tables never made it to the final published version of the Risperdal study.  The only information that was included was that prolactin levels increased initially and then quickly fell, not causing any additional side effects.

As it stands, two authors of the original study are currently reanalyzing the original data in the study.  Time will tell if the 2003 paper will be validated or retracted.

Earlier this year, Dr. Richard Horton, the Editor in Chief of Lancet, a very respectable scientific journal, issued the following statement:

“The case against science is straightforward: much of the scientific literature, perhaps half, may simply be untrue. Afflicted by studies with small sample sizes, tiny effects, invalid exploratory analyses, and flagrant conflicts of interest, together with an obsession for pursuing fashionable trends of dubious importance, science has taken a turn towards darkness.”

That bold statement and has caused the scientific community and laypeople at large to begin to wonder about scientific integrity and question what was blindly accepted before.

Risperdal Lawsuit Information

Janssen has been the target of many Risperdal lawsuits before and has lost to both individuals as well the U.S. government.

A March 2015 settlement ordered the pharmaceutical company to pay $2.5 million to a young man with autism, now age 20, who began taking the drug at age 8 through age 13.

He was prescribed Risperdal back in 2002 when Janssen and Johnson & Johnson were allegedly using “aggressive” marketing tactics with pediatricians to encourage them to prescribe Risperdal off-label for children with autism.

In November of 2013, Johnson & Johnson was faced with a $2.2 billion dollar settlement as the outcome of a Risperdal lawsuit involving the U.S. Justice Department.

The Rispersal settlement was for criminal and civil fines the company was charged with for marketing Risperdal to children, older adults, and individuals with developmental disabilities.

However, the company denied civil claims wrongdoing and also denied accusations that they paid doctors kickbacks for writing Risperdal prescriptions.

If you or a loved one has taken Risperdal and have suffered from male breast growth, also known as gynecomastia or man boobs, nipple pain, nipple discharge or galactorrhea, you may be eligible for legal compensation.