Johnson & Johnson has agreed to settle a Risperdal suit that alleges a boy grew female-like breasts after taking Risperdal.

Defendant Janssen Pharmaceuticals, part of Johnson & Johnson, was getting ready to face what would have been the seventh trial in a series of trials regarding its antipsychotic drug Risperdal.

Instead, Janssen settled this Risperdal suit with a New York boy and his family after the boy developed female-like breasts, a condition called gynecomastia.

Gynecomastia is a condition in which boys or men grow tissue in their breast area. It may require surgery to get the patient’s appearance back to normal.

Plaintiff Zachary S. and his family filed a Risperdal suit in April 2013 in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. Zachary alleged he had been taking Risperdal for nearly 10 years and had developed abnormal female breast tissue.

A Janssen spokesperson said, “We resolved this case and the terms of the settlement are confidential.”

Risperdal Suit is One of Many

This young man’s claim is one of nearly 2,300 cases that are a part of a mass tort litigation in Philadelphia. This litigation addresses claims that Risperdal causes hormone spikes in young men and adolescent boys, spikes that can lead to problems such as gynecomastia.

“Johnson & Johnson still faces thousands of claims by boys who grew female breasts as a result of taking Risperdal,” said one of the attorneys for the boy and his family.

The attorney communicated that the settlement is a “one-off settlement” and not a signal that there will be anymore settlements in the future by Janssen, or that the company is willing to begin any sort of global approach to the mass tort.

The attorney said, “We will continue to try cases until Johnson & Johnson accepts responsibility for hurting all of these children.”

In October 2006, the Food and Drug Administration approved Risperdal for use in adolescents for certain types of autism. It was not approved for pediatric or adolescent use before this time.

When Zachary began taking Risperdal, it was before the time that the FDA had approved it for use in young people. At the time, it was only approved for adults and indicated side effects included information that gynecomastia occurred in less than 1 per 1,000.

Later, warning labels were updated to say that gynecomastia can occur in 2.3% of Risperdal patients.

This recent settlement deal follows an odd mid-trial dismissal of another Risperdal claim. In this case, the judge announced that the plaintiffs had insufficient causation evidence.

This is only the second time Janssen has won a victory in a Risperdal gynecomastia claim. In October, Janssen evaded another Risperdal claim with a successful motion for summary judgment.

However, other plaintiffs in Risperdal cases have won at least four times. This includes a massive $70 million damage award that was won in July. Victories in three other cases have garnered nearly $5 million more for in damages for plaintiffs.

Zachary’s Risperdal Lawsuit is Case No. 130402100 in the Court of Common Pleas for Philadelphia County, Penn.