The third in a series of Risperdal gynecomastia bellwether trials was recently settled, hours before it was scheduled to be heard in a Pennsylvania court.

The Risperdal lawsuit was filed on behalf of plaintiff Christopher W. in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, where Johnson & Johnson and its Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit, are facing approximately 1,320 similar Risperdal lawsuits.

According to reports, the Risperdal settlement amount with the plaintiff is confidential.

Gynecomastia & Risperdal Treatment

Gynecomastia is a condition characterized as male breast growth, sometimes resulting in the need for surgery to remove the breasts. In some cases, gynecomastia victims have also suffered lasting psychological injury associated with the abnormal breast growth.

In the Risperdal lawsuit, brought by Christopher, the young man claimed that he suffered gynecomastia after using the antipsychotic drug, and alleged that Johnson & Johnson failed to warn consumers and the medical community about this Risperdal side effect risk.

Risperdal Lawsuits Over Male Breast Growth

Christopher’s case was just one of approximately 1,300 Risperdal gynecomastia lawsuits that Johnson & Johnson and its Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit are facing in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, and it was the third in a series of bellwether trials designed to help gauge how juries are likely to respond to certain testimony and evidence presented at Risperdal trials in the future.

In February, the first Risperdal bellwether trial resulted in a highly publicized $2.5 million jury award, while the second trial ended with a defense verdict. Although these verdicts are not binding for other Risperdal claims, they may have an impact on negotiations in an effort to reach Risperdal settlement agreements.

History of Risperdal Problems

Risperdal has one of the longest histories of legal disputes of any medication on the market, and at its peak, Risperdal was the most common antipsychotic used in the United States.

Questionable marketing practices, including inappropriate marketing for unapproved uses in children and elderly adults and for other indications such as ADHD, chemical restraint and schizoaffective disorder, has been reported as far back as 1994, shortly after the medication was approved to treat Schizophrenia.

Harm caused by Risperdal use was noted as early 2001 and litigation is still ongoing.  Johnson & Johnson has paid well over $5 billion in fines and Risperdal settlements to date.

Risperdal received approval in 1993 as the first drug of the new category, atypical antipsychotics. By 1996, over 1 million prescriptions for the medication had been written, including many for unapproved, off-label uses.

As early as 1999, reports began to surface regarding problems with Risperdal use in children, which was not an approved use. Physicians may use medications for off-label reasons if they feel the patient will benefit; however, the manufacturer is not allowed to promote medications for unapproved uses.

The first Risperdal gynecomastia lawsuit regarding male breast growth was filed in 2010 by a 21-year-old man who had taken Risperdal for off-label use between 1999 and 2004 and suffered physical and emotional trauma due to gynecomastia and other Risperdal complications. In 2012, the Risperdal lawsuit was settled by Johnson & Johnson on the first day of trial for an undisclosed amount.

The same year, several states accused Johnson & Johnson of defrauding the state Medicaid system by misleading doctors into prescribing Risperdal instead of other medications that were cheaper and equally effective.

Additionally, the company paid $2.2 billion in fines and penalties to the Department of Justice in 2013 to avoid prosecution related to misbranding of Risperdal, which is the largest settlement of its type.

Johnson & Johnson and its Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit are still under investigation and continue to face hundreds of Risperdal lawsuits regarding serious and life-changing events caused by Risperdal complications.